The Ten Oddest Things About the Battle of the Little Bighorn

 

The Battle of the LittleBighorn on June 25-26, 1876, saw Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and over 260 men of the 7th Cavalry crushed by 1,500-2,000 Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors. What should have been a routine scout became America’s most mythic military disaster, laced with bizarre quirks, miscalculations, and cultural collisions. Here are ten of the oddest:

One: Greasy Grass, Not Little Bighorn: The Native name came from the river’s slippery, grease-slicked grass after rain and butchering—far more poetic than the map label.

Two: Comanche the Sole “Survivor”: The only living creature from Custer’s five doomed companies was Captain Myles Keogh’s horse Comanche, found riddled with arrows and bullets but nursed back to health and retired with full honors.

Three: Custer’s Last-Minute Buzz Cut: The vain “Boy General” cropped his famous cinnamon-scented curls short days before to beat the heat—shattering the long-haired legend forever.

Four: Declined Gatling Guns: Offered modern rapid-fire cannons, Custer refused them, boasting “the Seventh can handle anything it meets.” They might have changed everything.

Five: Fought on Allies’ Land: The giant village sat illegally on Crow reservation territory. Custer’s own Crow and Arikara scouts were fighting their ancient Sioux enemies.

Six: Warriors’ Baffled Treasure Hunt: Sioux and Cheyenne found ticking watches “magic,” discarded them when they stopped, mistook paper money for children’s pictures, and believed compasses “pointed to dead white men.”

Seven: Dead-Horse Breastworks: On Last Stand Hill, troopers shot their own mounts to form a 30-foot circle of carcasses as makeshift barricades.

Eight: Mass Suicides in Panic: Multiple Native accounts describe soldiers turning guns on themselves or each other after Custer fell, rather than face capture and torture.

Nine: Sitting Bull’s Grasshopper Vision: Weeks earlier, the chief’s Sun Dance vision showed soldiers tumbling into camp “like grasshoppers from the sky”—eerily fulfilled.

Ten: Fake Survivors: Over the next 70 years, more than 120 men claimed to be the “lone survivor” of Custer’s battalion.

Custer’s Last Stand: Portraits in Time

Custer’s Last Stand Re-examined

Custer's Indian Allies at the Little Bighorn

 

George Armstrong Custer relied heavily on Native American scouts. These men, primarily from the Arikara and Crow tribes, served the U.S. Army to strike against their traditional enemies—the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho.

The Arikara provided around forty scouts, including the famed Bloody Knife, Custer's favorite and trusted guide. Several Arikara, like Bloody Knife, Bobtail Bull, and Little Brave, died in the fighting. The Crow contributed six key scouts, such as Curley, White Man Runs Him, Goes Ahead, Hairy Moccasin, Half Yellow Face, and White Swan. Familiar with the terrain in their own historic lands, they spotted the vast encampment from the Crow's Nest overlook and delivered dire warnings Custer largely ignored.

Their service highlights the complex alliances of the Indian Wars, where Native warriors fought on both sides of the conflict.

Custer’s Last Stand: Portraits in Time

Gold, Murder and Monsters in the Superstition Mountains

Custer's Scout Curly

 

Curly a young Crow scout born around 1856, served with Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry during the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876. He was one of six Crow scouts attached to Custer's command, but he did not participate in the fighting; instead, he was dismissed before the final engagement, observed parts of the battle from a distance, and became the first to report the defeat to U.S. forces aboard the steamboat Far West. Over the decades until his death in 1923, Curly provided multiple accounts of the events, often through interpreters, which varied in detail and sometimes conflicted—likely due to memory, media sensationalism, and cultural differences.

 Curly's earliest known account was given shortly after the battle. Curly, hidden in a ravine with limited visibility, estimated the fight began around 2:30–3:00 p.m. and lasted until nearly sunset. He vividly portrayed the intense, continuous firing as "the snapping of the threads in the tearing of a blanket." The troops repelled several charges until ammunition ran low, leading to a final Indian assault where soldiers were killed at close range, many with arrows.

Curly claimed Custer animated his men until mortally wounded about an hour before the end. Curly escaped by wrapping his blanket like a Sioux warrior and passing through their lines during the chaos, possibly mistaken for an ally.

Near the end of his life in 1923, Curly provided what was described as his "last story".  After Reno split off; Custer and his men rode to a hill, then down a ravine, and briefly surveyed the valley from a high point, seeing Reno's men advancing amid rising dust. Custer proceeded down Medicine Tail Creek, halted, and sent the gray horse troop ahead while turning north.

Curly’s accounts are valuable for their Native perspective but show inconsistencies. Claims like hiding in a gutted horse or high Sioux casualties likely stem from media embellishments. Despite this, his descriptions of Custer’s movements, the village’s size, and the warriors’ tactics align with archaeological evidence and other accounts, making his early reports particularly useful when cross-referenced.

Custer’s Last Stand Re-examined

Custer’s Last Stand: Portraits in Time

Who Killed Custer?

 

One of the most debated issues of the Battle of the Little Bighorn is the exact nature of George Armstrong Custer’s death.  Who killed Custer, where was he killed, and when did he die? 

One popular theory says that Custer was seriously wounded (or even killed) early in the battle.  Custer advanced with several companies down Medicine Tail Coulee in an attempt to ford the river.  Supposedly, Custer was shot in the middle of the stream and the cavalry retreated after placing the dying man back on his horse.  White Cow Bull claimed to have fired the shot that felled a buckskin clad soldier.  Was it Custer?  None of the other warriors who were actually present at the ford ever mentioned the incident.  The only corroboration comes from two of Custer’s own Crow scouts, who were not actually there.  The scout White Man Runs Him heard later that Custer was hit in the chest by a bullet and fell into the water.  The account of the scout Goes Ahead, comes to us second hand from his wife Pretty Shield, to whom he supposedly told the story that Custer was killed at the river and that he was drunk at the time.

Historians have suggested that the attempt to ford the river at Medicine Tail Coulee was abandoned not because Custer was shot but because he realized that this was the middle of the village not the end.  In any event, the Crow scout Curly, reported Custer in robust health, after he had supposedly been shot, galloping north in an attempt to find another crossing point.

There are many other candidates for who killed Custer, including Custer himself.  According to this theory, Custer killed himself because he feared capture.  Custer’s body had two wounds, a chest wound and a head wound in the left temple.  It would have been difficult for the right handed Custer to shoot himself in the left temple, but theoretically this could have been an “assisted” suicide.

Among those claiming to have killed Custer were:  Red Horse, a Miniconjou warrior; Flat Hip, a Hunkpapa warrior, and Walks-Under-the-Ground, a Santee warrior who wound up in possession of Custer's horse after killing somebody.  Little Knife, a Hunkpapa warrior, said Brown Back killed Custer to avenge his brother.  Two sons of Scarlet Tip, chief of the Santee, claimed they jointly killed Custer. 

Cheyenne oral tradition passed down since 1876 says that Custer may have been killed by a woman warrior, Buffalo Calf Road Woman.  Minimally, she is said to have knocked Custer off his horse with a club and made off with his saber.

In 1905 Rain-in-the-Face made a deathbed confession that he thought it was he who had killed Custer having been “so close to him that the powder from my gun blackened his face.”

The mystery of who killed Custer was probably never known. The dust, smoke and chaos of the battle made it impossible to distinguish one soldier from another.  When asked, Sitting Bull said that nobody knew who killed Custer — nor even knew that he was present until days later.

Gold, Murder and Monsters in the Superstition Mountains

Arizona Legends and Lore

Last Cavalry Survivor of the Little Bighorn

 Charles Windolph, born in 1851 in Germany, immigrated to the U.S. and joined the 7th Cavalry. At the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876, he served under Captain Benteen. As Custer’s command fell, Windolph’s unit survived a brutal siege on Reno Hill. Braving enemy fire, he volunteered to fetch water for the wounded, earning the Medal of Honor. Promoted to sergeant, he later settled in South Dakota, working for Homestake Mining. Windolph, the last white survivor, died in 1950 at 98, leaving a vivid memoir, I Fought with Custer.

Arizona Legends and Lore

Tom Custer and Chief Rain-in-the-Face

 

Tom Custer, the younger brother of George Armstrong Custer earned two Medals of Honor during the Civil War. After the Civil War, Tom followed George into the Regular Army, joining the 7th Cavalry Regiment in 1866 as a second lieutenant. Tom served under his brother.

Tom Custer participated in the 1873 Yellowstone Expedition and the 1874 Black Hills Expedition. Tom rose to the rank of captain by 1875, commanding Company C.

Rain-in-the-Face, born around 1835 was a formidable Lakota war chief known for his fierce reputation. His name, originated after a childhood fight where his face was streaked with blood.

During the 1873 Yellowstone Expedition two civilians attached to the expedition—veterinarian John Honsinger and sutler Augustus Baliran—were killed by Lakota warriors. Rain-in-the-Face later confessed to these killings, claiming he acted to prove his bravery after a taunting challenge from a young woman.

Sixteen months later, in 1874, guide Charley Reynolds identified Rain-in-the-Face at the Standing Rock Agency, reenacting the killings during a ceremonial dance. George Custer, commanding Fort Abraham Lincoln, dispatched Tom Custer and Captain George Yates with two companies of the 7th Cavalry to arrest him.

The arrest was dramatic: Tom Custer entered the agency store, waited for Rain-in-the-Face to appear and subdued him in a physical struggle. Rain-in-the-Face, humiliated by the public arrest and subsequent imprisonment at Fort Abraham Lincoln, vowed revenge, reportedly threatening to kill Tom Custer and “eat his heart.”

Rain-in-the-Face’s escaped from the fort’s guardhouse three months later. Before fleeing, he reiterated his threat against Tom, sending a chilling message via a buffalo skin painted with a bloody heart. This act cemented his resolve to confront the Custers, particularly Tom, whom he held responsible for his humiliation. Rain-in-the-Face joined Sitting Bull’s band in the Powder River country.

The climax of their conflict came at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876. Rain-in-the-Face, now a leading warrior, fought among thousands of Lakota, Cheyenne, and other allied tribes against the 7th Cavalry. Tom Custer, commanding Company C, was part of his brother’s doomed battalion.

In later accounts, Rain-in-the-Face claimed to have killed both George and Tom Custer. He claimed he recognized Tom during the battle, shot him and then cut out his heart to fulfill his vow. This gruesome act was popularized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “The Revenge of Rain-in-the-Face.”

Tom Custer’s body, found near his brother’s, was indeed badly mutilated. He was disemboweled and his head was crushed in by a blow from a stone hammer used by the Indians. His heart, however, had not been removed according to those who found the body.

In a 1905 interview Rain-in-the-Face, then frail and near death, denied killing either Custer brother or mutilating Tom, describing the battle as too chaotic to identify specific enemies. This account is considered more reliable than the earlier 1894 interview where he was intoxicated and boasted of killing Tom Custer.

Gold, Murder and Monsters in the Superstition Mountains

The Death of Isaiah Dorman: Battle of the Little Bighorn

 

Video : The Death of Isaiah Dorman: Battle of the Little Bighorn

On June 25, 1876, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, five companies of the U.S. Seventh Cavalry, under the direct command of George Armstrong Custer were wiped out. 

Amid the chaos of that day, one figure often overlooked emerges: Isaiah Dorman, the only African American killed in the battle. As a skilled interpreter for the U.S. Army, Dorman's life bridged worlds—Black, White, and Native.  His death encapsulated the brutal ironies of the Indian Wars.

Isaiah Dorman's early life remains shrouded in mystery. Born around 1832 in Pennsylvania, he was likely freeborn, with a father of African-Jamaican descent and a mother of mixed African and Native American heritage. By the 1850s, Dorman was in the Dakota Territory working as a trapper, trader, and laborer. He married Celeste St. Pierre, a young woman from the Santee Sioux band led by Inkpaduta, and integrated deeply into Native life. Dorman was described as a large, dark-skinned man. There are no authenticated surviving photographs of Dorman

In spring 1876, Dorman joined Custer's 7th Cavalry expedition against the Lakota and Cheyenne, hired as a civilian Sioux interpreter at a premium rate due to his expertise and connections, including friendships with figures like Chief Sitting Bull. The campaign aimed to force non-reservation tribes onto designated lands amid gold rush tensions in the Black Hills. Departing from Fort Abraham Lincoln, the force marched toward the Little Bighorn River, unaware of the massive Native encampment ahead—estimated at 7,000 people, including 1,500-2,000 warriors.

On June 25, 1876 when Custer divided his 600 men into battalions, Dorman rode with Major Marcus Reno's detachment of about 140 troops, tasked with attacking the village from the south. As Reno's men charged into the valley, they met fierce resistance from Lakota and Cheyenne warriors. Reno ordered a retreat across the river to defensive bluffs, but Dorman fell behind. Eyewitness Private Roman Rutten recalled seeing Dorman on one knee, methodically firing a non-regulation sporting rifle at advancing Indian warriors, shouting, "Goodbye, Rutten!" as the soldier galloped past. An Indian account described: "We passed a black man in a soldier's uniform... He turned on his horse and shot an Indian right through the heart. Then the Indians fired... and riddled his horse with bullets. His horse fell over on his back and the black man could not get up."

Accounts of his final moments vary but paint a grim picture. One narrative claims Sitting Bull, recognizing his old acquaintance, dismounted, offered water from a buffalo horn cup, and said, "Don't kill that man, he is a friend of mine," before riding on. However, many are skeptical of this story. Moving Robe Woman (Eagle Robe), shot him in revenge for her brother's death, after which a group of Lakota women tortured him with stone hammers and knives.  His body was mutilated—arrows embedded, slashes across the face and body, and a 16-by-2-inch strip of skin removed as a war trophy by his wife's niece, Iron Antelope, later preserved in a North Dakota museum. Private William Slaper described finding the corpse "with many arrows shot into his body and head, badly cut and slashed." These acts reflected Native beliefs that wounds would carry into the afterlife, punishing Dorman for siding with the "bluecoats" against his adopted people.

Battle of the Little Bighorn: Medal of Honor Recipients

 

In July 1862, Congress authorized a Medal of Honor to be awarded to soldiers who “distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action.”  The first medals were presented in 1863, and it remains the highest decoration for valor the United States can bestow on an individual in the armed services.  There were 421 Medals of Honor awarded during the Indian Wars from 1865 to 1891.

Twenty-four individuals received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Battle of the Little Bighorn, specifically for actions in defense of Reno Hill.  These medals were awarded in 1878.

Name	Rank and Organization	Date of Action	Citation Summary
Neil Bancroft	Private, Company A, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Brought water for the wounded under heavy fire.
Abram B. Brant	Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Brought water for the wounded under heavy fire.
Thomas J. Callan	Private, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25–26, 1876	Obtained water for the wounded and assisted in driving away Indians.
Benjamin C. Criswell	Sergeant, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Rescued Lt. Hodgson's body, brought ammunition, encouraged men under heavy fire.
Charles Cunningham	Corporal, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Fought bravely despite being wounded, declined to leave the line.
Frederick Deetline	Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.
George Geiger	Sergeant, Company H, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Held a position securing water for the command with comrades.
Theodore W. Goldin	Private, Company G, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 26, 1876	Part of a party bringing water to the wounded under heavy fire.
Richard P. Hanley	Sergeant, Company C, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Recaptured a stampeded pack mule with ammunition under 20 minutes of fire.
David W. Harris	Private, Company A, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Brought water to the wounded at great danger under heavy fire.
William M. Harris	Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.
Henry Holden	Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Brought up ammunition under heavy fire.
Rufus D. Hutchinson	Sergeant, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Guarded and carried the wounded, brought water, directed men under fire.
Henry W. B. Mechlin	Blacksmith, Company H, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Held a position securing water for the command with comrades.
Thomas Murray	Sergeant, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Brought up pack train and rations on the second day under heavy fire.
James Pym	Private, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Voluntarily went for water under heavy fire.
Stanislaus Roy	Sergeant, Company A, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Brought water to the wounded at great danger under heavy fire.
George D. Scott	Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25–26, 1876	Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.
Thomas W. Stivers	Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25–26, 1876	Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.
Peter Thompson	Private, Company C, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Brought water to the wounded, made two trips despite being shot through the head.
Frank Tolan	Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.
Otto Voit	Saddler, Company H, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25, 1876	Held an exposed position with comrades, diverting fire for over 20 minutes.
Charles H. Welch	Sergeant, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25–26, 1876	Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.
Charles Windolph	Private, Company H, 7th U.S. Cavalry	Jun 25–26, 1876	Held a position securing water for the command with comrades during the engagement.

Little Bighorn: Medals of Honor

Custer’s Last Stand Re-examined

Arizona Legends and Lore

Custer's Dead Officers: First Lieutenant James Calhoun

 

On June 25, 1876, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, five companies of the U.S. Seventh Cavalry, under the direct command of George Armstrong Custer were wiped out.  Among the dead was:

First Lieutenant James Calhoun was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1845. He enlisted in the Union Army in 1864 . By the end of the Civil War, he held the rank of sergeant.

After the war, Calhoun accepted a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the infantry and served in the western territories.  He married Margaret “Maggie” Custer, sister of George Armstrong Custer, in 1872. This connection brought him into the inner circle of the so-called “Custer Clan.”

Calhoun was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and transferred to Company C of the 7th U.S. Cavalry, which was commanded by Captain Tom Custer, George’s brother. At the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, Calhoun was acting commander of Company C, as Tom Custer was serving as aide-de-camp to his brother. Calhoun and his men made their last stand on what is now known as Calhoun Hill, where evidence suggests they fought fiercely before being overwhelmed.

He was initially buried on the battlefield. His remains were later moved to Fort Leavenworth

Calhoun was nicknamed “The Adonis of the Seventh” because of his striking appearance.

Custer’s Last Stand Re-examined

The Great Northern Rebellion of 1860 (alternate history)

Custer's Dead Officers: First Lieutenant William W. Cooke

 

On June 25, 1876, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, five companies of the U.S. Seventh Cavalry, under the direct command of George Armstrong Custer were wiped out.  Among the dead was:

First Lieutenant William W. Cooke, a Canadian who was the Regimental Adjutant and was known as "Queen's Own" Cooke.  Cooke was known for his long side whiskers that he always wore.

Cooke was awarded brevet promotions to captain, major and lieutenant colonel for this bravery during the Civil War.  He joined the Regular Army after the War and was made a second lieutenant in the 7^th Cavalry in 1866. 

In 1868 he participated in the Washita Campaign.  At the Battle of the Washita, Cooke, one of the best shots in the regiment, commanded forty sharpshooters.  Cooke’s men hid themselves on the northern side of the river and shot down Cheyenne fleeing Custer’s charge.  Chief Black Kettle and his wife Medicine Woman Later were killed by Cooke’s sharpshooters.

In 1871Cooke became the regimental adjutant reporting to Custer.  Cooke became a close friend of Tom Custer and became part of what was known as the Custer Gang, a close-knit group of Custer’s friends and relatives. 

The anti-Custer faction within the regiment, including Captain Frederick Benteen and Major Marcus Reno, began calling him “The Queen’s Own.”

On the day of battle at the Little Bighorn, June 25, 1876, Cooke was by the side of George Armstrong Custer.  He is remembered for writing Custer’s final orders to Captain Benteen: “Come On. Big village. Be quick. Bring packs. W.W. Cooke. P.S. Bring Packs”.

Cooke died alongside Custer. He was scalped twice, the second trophy being his side whiskers.  The Cheyenne warrior Wooden Leg claimed to have scalped the whiskers from one side of Cooke's face. He gave this trophy to his grandmother, who didn’t think much of it and discarded it two nights later at a victory dance.

Custer’s Last Stand: Portraits in Time

The Great Northern Rebellion of 1860 (alternate history)

Custer's Dead Officers: Captain Tom Custer

 

On June 25, 1876, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, five companies of the U.S. Seventh Cavalry, under the direct command of George Armstrong Custer were wiped out.  Among the dead was:

 Captain Tom Custer, 31, rode with the five companies led personally by George Custer.  Tom Custer had distinguished himself during the Civil War, receiving the Medal of Honor twice for bravery, becoming the first of only 16 individuals in American history to achieve this distinction.  

After the Civil War, Tom Custer was appointed a first lieutenant in the 7^th cavalry.  He was wounded at the Battle of the Washita and took part in the Black Hills expedition of 1874.  During the 1876 campaign he served as aide-de-camp to his older brother Lt. Colonel George A. Custer and died with his brother on Last Stand Hill.

 In an interview given in 1900, Dr, Henry Porter recounted: “As soon as we could, several of the officers and myself went over to where Custer had fought…. We found Custer's body stark naked, as white and clean as a baby's. He was shot in the head and breast. The body of Captain Tom Custer, General Custer's brother, was horribly mutilated. He was disemboweled, and his head had been crushed in by a blow from a stone hammer used by the Indians. The only arrow wound I found was in his head. He had the Sioux mark of death, which was a cut from the hip to the knee, reaching to the bone. His heart was not cut out, as has been reported…”

 In fact, Tom Custer’s body had been so badly mutilated that his remains were identified only by a recognizable tattoo of his initials on his arm.

 The bodies of George and Tom Custer were wrapped in canvas and blankets, then buried on the field in a shallow grave.  When soldiers returned a year later, the brothers' grave had been scavenged by animals and the bones scattered.  According to a witness, "Not more than a double handful of small bones were picked up."  George Custer was reinterred with full military honors at West Point Cemetery on October 10, 1877.   The remains of Tom Custer, were reinterred at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Legends of the Superstition Mountains

Custer’s Last Stand Re-examined