Task 1: Revise the causes The Battle of Little Bighorn was a significant battle in the Great Sioux War of 1876 77. This task is to help you recap the main causes of the war overall, as well as the more specific reasons for the Battle of Little Bighorn. Complete the storyboard boxes to help you recap. 1. The 1868 Fort... Treaty granted the Sioux Indians the right to land in Dakota and Nebraska without it being... upon by non-indians. 2. General George... led an expedition to the Black Hills in 1874 to investigate reports of... being found there. The Black Hills were in the Sioux Indians territory, and thus Custer was breaking the Fort Laramie Treaty. 3. Custer reported back that the Black Hills region was indeed rich in gold.... and miners flooded into the area, which the US army was unable to prevent. 4. In an attempt to prevent conflict, the US... offered to buy the area from the Sioux for $6 million in 1875. 5. The Sioux refused the offer because the Black Hills were... to them as the place where their nation began. 6. The Sioux were then ordered to go back to their... immediately if they didn t the army was ordered to treat them as hostiles. 7. Thousands of Indians were away from their reservations in early 1876. They had travelled to share Sioux leader... Bull s vision of crushing the white invaders. 8. By the spring of 1876 over 10,000 Sioux rebels had gathered in a camp next to the Little... River in defiance of the army s order to return to their reservations. 9. Custer led a small group of soldiers (655 men) to locate the... camp. www.teachithistory.co.uk 2018 31081 Page 1 of 6
Task 2: Who or what was most to blame for the US army s defeat at Little Bighorn? Evidence challenge There are several reasons why Custer s soldiers were so heavily defeated at the Battle of Little Bighorn. The interpretations of Custer s own responsibility for the defeat have changed over time: His widow helped to get his autobiography published very soon after his death, and tried to promote the idea that Custer was a hero and should not have been blamed in any way. US army officials, however, did blame Custer. Even men who d supported him strongly in the past (like General Sheridan) turned on him after his death. Nevertheless, many ordinary American people accepted Custer s widow s view that he was a heroic figure who should be commemorated. Nowadays many historians think Custer s actions were arrogant and irresponsible they hold him directly responsible for the defeat. Some historians, however, place more blame on his fellow officers who could have done more to help Custer. Once you ve looked over the evidence, you ll be able to make a clear, supported judgement of your own. Make sure you ve read or re-read over the events of the Battle of Little Bighorn so you know what the sources are talking about. Source 1 From Captain Benteen s letter to his commanding officer, written a few days after the Battle of Little Bighorn. When Custer split his forces into three to carry out a three-pronged attack, Benteen led one of them. Had Custer carried out the orders he got from General Terry the commands would have formed a junction exactly at the village, and have captured the whole outfit of tepees, etc., but Custer disobeyed orders from the fact of not wanting any other command or body to have a finger in the pie and thereby lost his life. Who or what did Benteen blame for the Americans defeat? Do you think this is a useful source? What reasons might it have for being one-sided? www.teachithistory.co.uk 2018 31081 Page 2 of 6
Source 2 From a newspaper article in the Chicago Tribune, published 4 July 1876 a few days after the Battle. General Custer had personal and soldierly traits which commended him to the people. He was an officer who did not know the word fear and he was reckless, hasty, and impulsive, preferring to make a daredevil rush and take risks rather than to move slower and with more certainty. He was a brave, brilliant soldier, handsome and dashing but these qualities should not blind our eyes to the fact that it was his own madcap haste, rashness, and love of fame that cost him his own life, and cost the service the loss of many brave officers and gallant men. They drew him into an ambuscade ravine In this instance, 300 troops were instantly surrounded by 3,000 Indians, and the fatal ravine became a slaughter-pen from which but a few escaped No account seems to have been taken of numbers, of the leadership of the Sioux, of their record of courage and military skill. What did the author of the article think of Custer? Who or what did the author blame for the Americans defeat? Source 3 The words of General Rosser, recorded in the Chicago Tribune on 8 July 1876. Rosser was a very high-ranking Civil War veteran but was not at the Battle of Little Bighorn. I feel that Custer would have succeeded had Reno with all the reserve of seven companies passed through and joined Custer after the first repulse. I think it quite certain that General Custer had agreed with Reno upon a place of junction in case of a repulse of either or both of the detachments, and instead of an effort being made by Reno for such a junction as soon as he encountered heavy resistance he took refuge in the hills, and abandoned Custer and his gallant comrades to their fate. What did the Rosser think of Custer and his men? Who or what did Rosser blame for the Americans defeat? Rosser wasn t at the battle, unlike Benteen. What advantages and disadvantages can you think of for the reliability of Sources 1 and 3, with this in mind? www.teachithistory.co.uk 2018 31081 Page 3 of 6
Source 4 From a letter written by Frederick Whittaker in July 1876. Whittaker had just been asked to write a biography of Custer. A great amount of evidence, oral and written, came into my hands tending to prove that the sacrifice of his life and the lives of his immediate command at the battle of the Little Big Horn was useless, and owing to the cowardice of his subordinates [The] failure of this movement [is] owing to his cowardice and disobedience, [which] caused the defeat of the United States forces on the day in question; had Custer s orders been obeyed, the troops would probably have defeated the Indians. After Major Reno s cowardly flight, he was joined by Captain Benteen and he remained idle with this force while his superior officer was fighting against the whole force of the Indians, the battle being within his knowledge, the sound of firing audible from his position, and his forces out of immediate danger from the enemy. What did the Whittaker think of Custer and his men? Who or what did Whittaker blame for the Americans defeat? Whittaker wasn t at the battle, but he was about to write Custer s biography, having been asked by to do so by Custer s widow. Do you think this may have contributed to him being one-sided about the reasons for Custer s defeat? Explain your answer. Interpretation A From the book Custer and the Epic of Defeat by Bruce A. Rosenberg, published in 1974. Custer had been led to believe by the Bureau of Indian Affairs not to expect more than 800 hostile [Indians]; in fact he was probably confronted by over 4,000. Finally, he was not aware that many of his future foes were armed with Winchester repeating carbines, whereas his own men were equipped with single-shot Springfields. Thus of the three major aspects of military intelligence the number of the enemy, their willingness to fight, and their armament Custer was ignorant and unprepared. Who or what did Rosenberg blame for the Americans defeat? Unlike the sources above written very shortly after the battle, interpretations are written by historians many years after the event. What advantages does this have in terms of usefulness and reliability? www.teachithistory.co.uk 2018 31081 Page 4 of 6
Who or what was to blame? Custer was to blame Other reasons were more important Points from my own knowledge Points from the sources and the interpretation Finally, who or what do you think was ultimately most to blame for the defeat of the 7 th Cavalry at Little Bighorn? Explain your answer thoroughly. The best responses will refer to the sources and briefly evaluate their usefulness and reliability. www.teachithistory.co.uk 2018 31081 Page 5 of 6
Teaching notes There is a fascinating discussion about the Battle of Little Bighorm on the BBC radio programme In Our Time, available here www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0112xfd). Suggested tasks 1. Ask students to complete the missing words task on p.1 to familiarise themselves with the events. 2. Students should use the sources and interpretation on pp.2-3 in order to complete the table on p.4. 3. Finally, you could split the class into two sides to have a class debate on the issue. One side should blame Custer and explain all the ways in which he was responsible, the other should look at all the other factors. www.teachithistory.co.uk 2018 31081 Page 6 of 6