1. Custer: Unlucky or incompetent

2. Summary
In the summer of 1876 the U.S. Army deployed troops to trap a group of roaming Sioux and force them back to their reservation.
On the morning of June 25th, Lieutenant Colonel Custer and over 200 of his men were killed after attacking an Indian village.
The loss outraged the U.S. government so much that they mounted a new counter offensive that crushed Sioux resistance.

3. Causes of the battle
Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) promised Indians exclusive possession of the Dakota territory.
Discovery of Gold in the Black Hills (1874) lead to an influx of miners prompting Indian hostilities towards them.
Indians refused to sell land to the Government so were ordered to move to designated reservations by 31st Jan 1876 or be deemed hostile.

4. the battle
Three Army groups moved against the Lakota and their allies. On 17th June, one group, led by General Crook, were defeated at the Battle of the Rosebud river.
Another group (the Seventh Cavalry under Custer) was ordered to ride ahead and find the ‘hostiles’.
They were told they MUST NOT ATTACK…

5. The Battle of Little Bighorn
Custer ignored his orders.
When he reached the camp of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse he divided his troops up.
He sent 115 troopers, under Captain Benteen, to search for more ‘hostiles’.
Another 140, under Major Reno were ordered to attack the eastern end of the village. These were soon beaten back.

6. The battle of little bighorn
- Why would Custer split up his troops? -

7. The Battle of Little Bighorn
Custer with the rest, rode around the village intending to attack from its other end.
He never made it.
Within one hour Custer and all his men were dead.
The events of the battle are not entirely clear but what is clear is that Crazy Horse’s attack overwhelmed Custer and his men.
Reno and Benteen was surrounded but rescued two days later.

8. The Consequences of the Battle
There is no doubt that the Sioux defeated Custer and the 7th cavalry in the Battle of Little Big Horn. It was however, in the end no victory for the Indians. In many ways it made their end quicker.
The news of the terrible defeat of General Custer spread quickly. Americans were stunned and horrified. People no longer listened to those who had argued that the Native Americans should be respected. All the talk was of crushing the Plains Indians once and for all.

9. Reasons for the defeat Task
Watch the video and fill in the sheet to determine what were the main reasons for the defeat.
Think about whether it was Custer’s bad luck or whether it was his wrong decisions that lead to his defeat.