Battle Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument
Custer's Last Stand by Edgar S. Paxton.
Picture of "Custer's Last Stand by Edgar S. Paxson" an oil painting 6 feet x 9 feet which I took while visiting the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, WY. Paxston arrived in Montanna in 1877, a year after the Battle of The Little Big Horn. After extensive research and interviewing survivors on both sides he began work on an oil painting, which took several years to complete. Nothing and no picture can describe this work of art. I converted my picture of this work into this black and white rendition so as not to distract from the awesomeness of standing in front of this masterpiece. Follow this link to see this item. https://centerofthewest.org/explore/western-art/research/edgar-s-paxson/
Custer National Cemetary
The cemetery is located on the Crow Reservation, inside the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. The battlefield name was changed by congress in 1991 to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument but the cemetery retained the name Custer National Cemetery. Custer National Cemetery was established in 1886. Within it there are approximately 4,900 interments. Soldiers from Fort Phil Kearny and Fort Keogh were transferred to this cemetery in 1924 and 1926. The Fort Kearny interments had previous been buried on Last Stand Hill. Other interments are soldiers and sailors killed in action or veterans and their spouses that served in the U.S. Military during the Indian Wars, Spanish American War, World War one, World War Two, Korean War and Vietnam War. The cemetery is closed to future interments
Custer National Cemetary
The cemetery is located on the Crow Reservation, inside the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. The battlefield name was changed by congress in 1991 to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument but the cemetery retained the name Custer National Cemetery. Custer National Cemetery was established in 1886. Within it there are approximately 4,900 interments. Soldiers from Fort Phil Kearny and Fort Keogh were transferred to this cemetery in 1924 and 1926. The Fort Kearny interments had previous been buried on Last Stand Hill. Also buried here are U.S. Indian Scouts, and military families from abandoned military post cemeteries of Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming. Other interments are soldiers and sailors killed in action or veterans and their spouses that served in the U.S> Military during the Indian Wars, Spanish American War, World War one, World War Two, Korean War and Vietnam War. The cemetery is closed to future interments
Last Stand Hill
In 1980 the army erected white marble government headstones to preserve the locations of the original 7th Cavalry casualty sites. Originally the men were buried where they fell.
Deep Ravine
Twenty-eight soldiers, mostly from Company E fell here. All of the bodies were buried in the ravine. To date the bodies have not been found.
Little Bighorn Battlefield
Military historians believe that after a time panic set in and the men began to run in all directions to escape the Indian Attacks. Custer and his men were out numbered by approximately 10 to 1. The last Stand is at about 2 o-clock in this image.
General Custer's Marker
Here is the spot where General Custer fell on June 25, 1876. With him where his brother and three other family members. In 1877, the partial remains of Custer and many of the officers were re-interred at various locations in the eastern U.S.; while Custer's remains were re-interred at West Point, New York
Last Stand Hill
White marble stones mark the location of those soldiers who went down with Custer on Last Stand Hill. Custer's marker has a black face.
Gen Custer/T.W. Custer Markers
General Custer and his brother T.W. Custer fell here. I recently read a book that implied that Custer's skull had a close range gun shot wound. It was speculated that Custer's brother may have shot Custer before turning the gun on himself.
Last Stand Hill
Artist drawing of the final battle at Last Stand Hill where General Custer and 41 of his men fell. Eyewitness accounts indicate the whole battle lasted less than an hour.
The Memorial
Indian Memorial
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument near Crow Agency, Montana, commemorates one of America's most significant and famous battles, the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Here on June 25 and 26, 1876, two divergent cultures clashed in a life or death struggle. The essential irony of the Battle of the Little Bighorn is that the victors lost their nomadic way of life after their victory. Unlike Custer's command, the fallen Lakota and Cheyenne warriors were removed by their families, and "buried" in the Native American tradition, in teepees or tree-scaffolds nearby in the Little Bighorn Valley. The story of the battle from the Native American perspective was largely told through the oral tradition. Even so, today, no memorial honors the Native Americans who struggled to preserve and defend their homeland and traditional way of life. Their heroic sacrifice was never formally recognized - until now.
In 1991, the U. S. Congress changed the name of the battlefield and ordered the construction of an Indian Memorial. In 1996, the National Park Service - guided by the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Advisory Committee, made up of members from the Indian nations involved in the battle, historians, artists and landscape architects - conducted a national design competition. In 1997 a winning design was selected.
"Forty Years ago I fought Custer till all were dead. I was then the enemy of the Whitemen. Now I am the friend and brother, living in peace together under the flag of our country." Two Moons, Northern Cheyenne
Indian Memorial
"If this memorial is to serve its total purpose, it must not only be a tribute to the dead; it must contain a message for the living...power through unity..."
Enos Poor Bear, Sr., Oglala Lakota Elder
New addition to the Indian Memorial is a listing of the Warriors form the various tribes who fought at the Battle of The Little Big Horn. Of special interest to me is that my first cousin, my dads nephew worked on collecting these names which was a major undertaking as it was not uncommon for Indians to change their names to honor a hero. A plaque was mounted on the wall in the visitor center in recognition of Gary Gilbert's work on this project.
Reno's Skirmish Line.
On the morning of June 25, Custer divided his 12 companies into three battalions in anticipation of the forthcoming engagement. Three companies were placed under the command of Major Marcus Reno (A, G, and M), and three were placed under the command of Capt. Frederick Benteen (H, D, and K).
Reno's Defensive Position
Reno's Crossing
Reno's Retreat
At approximately 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 25, 1876, the battered remnants of Major Reno's three companies reached these bluffs following their disastrous attack in the valley.
Reno's Retreat
This is another view of where Reno crossed and fled into these Bluffs. Here he was joined by Major Benteen's battalion of three companies. They tried to make contact with Custer but their scouts were driven back. Soon after the defeat of Custer the Indians surrounded Reno and Benteen.
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