Custer Was an Idiot: Part 3, The Beginning of the End. By Bruce Tarleton
Lieutenant Varnum, commander of the Scout Division of Custer’s force peered westward in the direction his Crow scouts indicated. He was on a peek now called the Crow’s Nest, in the Wolf Mountains between the Rosebud and the Little Bighorn rivers. It was first light on the morning of the 25 th of June, 1876.
Varnum was trying to see what the Crow scouts told him to look for. They described a huge village, but Varnum could see nothing but the rolling green valley of the Little Bighorn. The scouts knew what to look for. The smudge of smoke from the cooking fires against the horizon. Worm like figures of the horses grazing in the grass. Try as he might, Varnum could not comprehend what they were trying to show him. Still, he trusted his scouts, so he believed them when they said this village was huge. Varnum sent two Arikara back to Custer with the news.
Custer had halted the column after an all-night forced march. All were weary. Including the horses and mules. When Custer got the news from the scouts, he had the column mount again and moved them to a divide just north of the Crow’s Nest. There he conferred with his brother Tom, Mitch Boyer, his personal scout, and Lt. Varnum. Varnum’s Arikara and Crow scouts were agitated. Two groups of hostiles had been spotted working their way toward the column. With the smoke from cooking fires of the now dismounted column clearly visible, the scouts new they had been discovered. It was only a matter of time before the whole village knew that troops were a mere 15 miles away.
At this point it should be noted that Custer’s plan had always been to attack at dawn. But the scouts argued that to delay now may allow the Sioux to slip away. It’s at this point that many historians believe Custer allowed them to change his mind, and decided to press the attack during the day.
Custer himself could not see the village from this vantage point. Indeed, while the scouts said “Big”, no one really knew how big. Custer had placed the estimate at 1500 warriors. He reached this number based on the Indian Agency reports of how many had not returned to the reservations for the winter. But these numbers were bogus. The Indian Agents had been inflating their actual numbers for years in order to obtain more government surplus and money, which they skimmed for their own profit.
The truth was more natives were arriving at the village on almost a daily basis. In fact, there was a group of Sioux who had been trailing the column for days on their way to join the village. Thus the Sioux knew the Army was coming. They were discovered when a couple of troopers rode back on the trail to recover some lost baggage. Several warriors were trying to open a box of hardtack that had fallen from one of the pack mules. The troopers fired at them, and they disappeared.
This incident was reported to Custer, and was the first hard evidence he had that the column was indeed discovered. He called an officer’s call late that morning and informed them that he planned to attack this day, to prevent the hostiles from escaping now that they were aware the Army was here. With that, the companies were ordered to make ready to move out. Benteen, in charge of H Company, would lead off. Since B Company was the last to form, they had the inglorious honor of escorting the slow moving pack train.
Just a few miles into the divide, Custer changed his plans. Or maybe, he formulated his plans. At any rate, he called Benteen back and split his battalion of D,H, and K companies off from the main force, and had him ride Southwest with orders to top the bluff to the south, observe the village, and report back. He was to engage any hostiles he encountered along the way. Beteen began to object, but Custer cut him off with a curt “You have your orders, Sir!”
As Benteen’s Battalion moved off to the southwest, Custer placed his second in command Major Marcus Reno in charge of the second Battalion consisting of companies A, G, and M. He moved this battalion to the head of the column and pushed them off to follow the Sun Dance Creek to its mouth at the Little Bighorn River.
Lt. Varnum and the scouts pushed ahead of Reno, and began to relay updates back to Custer. With each update, Custer modified his orders. Runners were sent to Benteen, pushing him further southwest, to the next bluff, then the next, with orders to report back if any Indians attempted to flee to the south.
But Custer was starving for information. When scouts reported that they had found an abandoned village with a lone teepee, Custer sprinted ahead of the column to investigate for himself. Crossing the Sundance creek, he found a village with cooking fires still warm. This troubled him, and he began to wonder if the Sioux had already broken camp and fled. The scouts, having topped a bluff to the left of the village, assured him that this was not the main village. But they also reported that there was a large dust cloud forming at the main village. This forced Custer into action. As Reno and his battalion approached, Custer signaled for him to meet. He ordered Reno to advance at as fast a gait as he felt prudent, and to attack the village from the south end. Custer, with the third battalion of companies C,E, F, I and L would support as needed. Reno received these orders and moved off. Custer allowed Lt. Varnum and his division of scouts to accompany Reno’s battalion. At this point, they were no more than two and half miles from the Little Bighorn River.
Custer was at this point frustrated and concerned. Had the village learned of his presence sooner than he thought? Were they now splintering into many small groups, too many to corral and force back the reservations? He could not allow that to happen.
When Reno set off for the south end of the village, Custer’s Adjutant, Lt William Cooke rode with him to the Little Bighorn River. There he surveyed the village, and awaited the arrival of Custer and the third battalion, as Reno crossed the river and pressed his attack.
One of the scout interpreters, Fredric Gerard, who had crossed ahead of Reno with some of the Arikara scouts came running back to the river as Reno emerged. “Major,” he reported. “the Sioux are coming to give us battle.” Reno ignored him, and ordered the battalion forward.
Gerard crossed the river, intent on reporting to Custer this development. Instead, he ran into Lt. Cooke. Cooke ordered Gerard back to Reno’s battalion, and rode off to alert Custer that the Sioux were indeed ready to fight. This would be good news to Custer, as it would indicate that the Indians were advancing in order to cover a retreat for the women and Children.
Mitch Boyer was a personal scout assigned to Custer. Half-Lakota and Half-French, he was married to a Crow woman. Though his ancestors were Sioux, he was loyal to his wife’s clan, which had pledged support to the US Government. He was probably the only man who could get away with arguing with Custer, and even insulted him on occasion. Custer trusted him, and knew that he had the full confidence of the Crow scouts with him.
Boyer and his scouts told Custer that there were high bluffs on the east side of the river on which they could observe the valley. Custer moved the battalion in a column of 4 from the Sundance creek to the base of these bluffs. Custer sent a squad of F Company to the far right (East) base of the bluffs and a little ahead as an advanced guard.
AS they rode up the bluff from the east, and turned slightly north, the valley suddenly opened up beneath them. This was Custer’s first real look at the expansive village. It was the Washita times ten.
With his brother Tom, Custer surveyed the massive village, and received a huge shock. Gerard was wrong. There was no advance of Sioux warriors running to meet Reno’s battalion, which they could clearly see about a mile to the west, moving north. In fact, they observed NO warriors at all. Only women and children, oblivious to their presence, carrying on with their daily routines. He had done it. He had the element of complete surprise, and this massive village was within his grasp.
At this point Custer realized he need more than just the battalion he had with him. He dispatched a rider, Sergeant Kanipe with orders for Captain Thomas McDougall, commanding B Company with the pack train far behind the main column to bring up all of the ammunition and his company.
What he didn’t know from his location on the bluffs was the exact size of the village. He still could not see the northern boundary of it. So he urged his column further north, to a tall hill that he thought would give him a better vantage point.
As he rode off, Custer was unable to see the trouble Reno had gotten himself into. He had no way of knowing at that point that Reno had screwed up, and was in real danger of being annihilated.
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Wish I could get that picture bigger.
Good stuff, really good article Bruce.
Well done.
The opening moves of the battle, very well done my friend. Revealing very poor use of his scouts, (not getting the all important knowledge of the terrain before attacking) and the violation of the first three rules of mobile warfare, Localize force superiority, take the interior line, maximize your firepower.
Excellent narrative...
Just one question.
The title, this is part two isn't it?
The first article is actually a combination of parts 1 and 2 of the original series. So technically, this is part 3.
The opening moves of the battle, very well done my friend. Revealing very poor use of his scouts, (not getting the all important knowledge of the terrain before attacking) and the violation of the first three rules of mobile warfare, Localize force superiority, take the interior line, maximize your firepower.
It seems to me that Custer's whole plan was centered on catching Indians not formulating a battle plan to fight them. This is consistent with what I understand to have been the prevailing notion at the time . . . i.e. although Indians would fight settlers, they would run from an army rather than stand and fight a pitched battle in the open (contrary to Hollywood movies). Custer managed to catch them by surprise to prevent them from running but catching so many of them by surprise may have actually been the problem.
Custer started shooting the Indians indiscriminately on his way in, killing women and children. That created total confusion as Custer knew it would. The Indian men rushed forward to allow their women and children a chance to escape but, having been caught by surprise, they were disorganized. The Indians wouldn't have known the size of the attacking force so Custer still had a chance to overwhelm them with the element of surprise. But the Indian men were so numerous that, even disorganized, they stalled Custer's attack and that bought the Indians time.
It seems to me that what turned the tide was men like Crazy Horse who decided to rally the Indians into a counter attack rather than fighting just to cover the retreat of women and children. This fight could have gone the other way and Custer would have been a hero (to whites anyway) for using a smaller force to overwhelm a much larger one. So I'll say it's not so much that Custer was an idiot as it was that Crazy Horse (and other leaders) rose to the occasion and turned a possible rout into a stunning victory.
Stay tuned. You're somewhat right, but more wrong.
One of Many, My friend,
Custer had victory in hand, and threw it away for some egotistical vaunted glory.
The plains Indian wars were over for good, if only Custer had followed both his orders and what his Indian Scouts were telling him.
If Custer had survived the Little Bighorn battle, he would have been court martialed and cashiered.
Custer had victory in hand, and threw it away for some egotistical vaunted glory.
Yeah but his egotistical need for glory also made him the youngest general in the union army. He's certainly not the first soldier to see war as an opportunity for glory.
The plains Indian wars were over for good, if only Custer had followed both his orders and what his Indian Scouts were telling him.
The fact that the Indian wars were ending was all the more reason to ride against the biggest nation left standing while he still had the chance to do it. Custer was known to be both reckless and tactically brilliant. He was also known for daring calvary charges so he would have relished doing it again against the Sioux if he could catch them before they scattered.
If Custer had survived the Little Bighorn battle, he would have been court martialed and cashiered.
It wouldn't have been his first court marshal. If he had subdued the Sioux and Cheyenne nations with 200 men, he would have been a rock star and the army wouldn't have dared to touch him. He guessed wrong and got himself and everyone else killed (including 4 of his own family members). Alexander the Great guessed right against impossible odds and conquered the world. Go figure.
Great article, Bruce. Very informative and well described. Good work!
Where is part two ? I read part one.
Hi Pat, Bruce advised elsewhere in this article to NWM that part 1 was actually a combination of part 1 & 2 of the original series, so this one is part 3. (smile)
The parts about the scouts is a very interesting part of the complete story.
I agree. It is a part that many 'historical' stories of the Little Big Horn battle leave out.
In the movie "Little Big Man", Dustin Hoffman played the Character Jack Crabb, who was to represent an Indian scout with Custer who advised him during his march to the battlefield and the beginning of the great battle there.
While Jack Crabb was merely a fictional character, he did show the fact that there was an Indian scout with Custer during this time. Something that many may not have been aware of.
American Indian monument at Little Big Horn or Greasy Grass as it's know to American Indians.
Great photo, Kavika. What is the monument made of? It looks like it might be wrought iron, but, looks can be deceiving.
It's actually bronze RW.
Thanks Kavika. It truly is a beautiful work of art.
Kavika, what a beautiful monument to a brave Warrior. All life is a gift from the Creator and is most precious. But, there truly are things worth dying for in life. While this great Warrior has moved on to the next steps in his eternal journey, I am sure he is still watching over his people in Spirit.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place, and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead; short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe!
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high!
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Great photo and poem, Kavika. Thank you for posting it to share with us. (smile)
Another wonderful article, Bruce! Is there a part 4?
If this were a movie, I'd be gesturing at the screen-- "Go back! Go back! This is a day that will forever mark all of us!"
Dowser, there is a part 4. I had thought I could tell this story in just 3 or 4 parts. The reality is this is going to be about 5 or 6 parts. I've already started writing the next part, and my final chapter. But there may be one or two in between.
Something for me to look forward to! Thank you, Bruce! I eagerly anticipate more chapters!
What Dowser said.
Gonna hafta print and read all the parts - Damn Bruce - great story/rendition.