Who And What Was George Custer?

[A Guy Out West]

Sort of correct...if you don't mind me asking what events in history did our freedoms come from?

Also, let’s not forget that tha Native American’s were the original slave owners and traders in North America.

 

[A Guy Out West]

Where all rights come from. A bunch of dudes sitting around who decide who gets rights and who doesn't.

You mean
Like the Indian Chiefs did?

 

[A Guy Out West]

Realistically, I have a degree in history. Rape and genocide are not mistakes. They are crimes and were recognized as such 150 years ago as they are today.

Didn’t the natives do that to each other long before the white nan ever set foot on North Amica?

 

[A Guy Out West]

If anyone is interested in history that is neither based off of bad 1950s westerns or kumbaya "Indians were perfect and peaceful" hippie drivel:

View attachment 186648

Thank you, I will put this at the top of my read list.

 

[WildWill]

He was relentless and had no shortage of energy. He could get by on less than 3 hours of sleep and if his horse didn’t play out, he was capable of over 50 miles in 24 hours. Nobody that followed or served under him could keep his pace.

He had no fear and never sent his command anywhere that he wasn’t in the lead. If you read of his cavalry accomplishments, you would see why Sheridan relied on him and why you wouldn’t want to follow...

His troopers nicknamed him "Iron Butt" for his ability to stay in the saddle for so long.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I’ve visited historical sites of Custer and his men in ND - very, very interesting stuff and well worth the visit. The wagon ruts made by others during that time are still quite visible - you get a feeling of really how recent these events occurred.

I appreciate the OP mention of learning actual history of Custer rather than just the unfortunate caricatures that float around in popular culture.

I completely disagree about him dying a hero. He died amidst a tragic conflict where both “sides” “lost” in the grand scheme of things. Assigning blame to him for human rights violations is myopic at best, revisionist at worst. Nevertheless I’m not going to celebrate his killing of native Americans. That’s pretty tone deaf in our culture today where racism is alive and well. I do remember him as a civil war hero, a role which unfortunately is quite overshadowed by the events of his later life in the west.

An excellent read, for whomever has the inclination: https://www.amazon.com/American-Hol...ocphy=9017894&hvtargid=pla-491744139533&psc=1

 

[2ski]

You have to consider what was happening on this continent since the Revolutionary War. The need for expansion and methods to do it were due to the circumstances of those times, not 21st century reparation concepts.

Nice straw man argument.

I haven't seen anyone bring up reparations so far in this thread. We can have a discussion about something being wrong without reparations.

 

[shrapnel]

I completely disagree about him dying a hero. He died amidst a tragic conflict where both “sides” “lost” in the grand scheme of things. Assigning blame to him for human rights violations is myopic at best, revisionist at worst. Nevertheless I’m not going to celebrate his killing of native Americans. That’s pretty tone deaf in our culture today where racism is alive and well. I do remember him as a civil war hero, a role which unfortunately is quite overshadowed by the events of his later life in the west.

2 points:

Custer was a national hero, as mentioned above, he did make some poor decisions as he did some real stupid things, post Civil War. America was in the midst of a Centennial celebration and one of the most recognized generals of the Civil War had just been killed by a bunch of savages in the Montana territory.

This was less than 2 weeks before the 4th of July when the rest of the country was involved in the celebration. The country was shocked that this could even happen.

As far as Custer vs the Indian, there was probably no one at his level that was more an advocate for the Indian. Custer barely made it to lead the 7th Cavalry, as Grant wasn’t going to allow him to serve in that capacity as Custer had to testify in Washington against Grant’s Brother and William Belknap who had been abusing the Indians by misappropriation of the support for the reservation Indians.

Custer was indeed, a complex person. He was also a motivated individual that acted abruptly, but with incredible insight, more so than the accusations of spontaneity. The one biggest point of his death, was that all the subsequent years of news and court of inquiry, didn’t allow his testimony to clarify much of what he did or why.

 

[glass eye]

Just a little trivia....Custer was also a taxidermist.

 

[shrapnel]

Just a little trivia....Custer was also a taxidermist.

He also acted in small local plays...

 

[greatwhitebuffalo]

The Americans on both sides HAD to have respected each other as warriors/soldiers.

But, nobody recognizes that, doesn't matter, etc. ...

 

[A Guy Out West]

I’ve visited historical sites of Custer and his men in ND - very, very interesting stuff and well worth the visit. The wagon ruts made by others during that time are still quite visible - you get a feeling of really how recent these events occurred.

I appreciate the OP mention of learning actual history of Custer rather than just the unfortunate caricatures that float around in popular culture.

I completely disagree about him dying a hero. He died amidst a tragic conflict where both “sides” “lost” in the grand scheme of things. Assigning blame to him for human rights violations is myopic at best, revisionist at worst. Nevertheless I’m not going to celebrate his killing of native Americans. That’s pretty tone deaf in our culture today where racism is alive and well. I do remember him as a civil war hero, a role which unfortunately is quite overshadowed by the events of his later life in the west.

An excellent read, for whomever has the inclination: https://www.amazon.com/American-Hol...ocphy=9017894&hvtargid=pla-491744139533&psc=1

Racism is alive and well, kool aid drinker. Other than David Duke, name a racist? Don’t be a useful idiot of the Marxists. By the way, the culture you speak of is not our culture. It’s the culture of the neo Marxists and the liberal media.

 

[greatwhitebuffalo]

Racism is alive and well, kool aid drinker. Other than David Duke, name a racist? Don’t be a useful idiot of the Marxists. By the way, the culture you speak of is not our culture. It’s the culture of the neo Marxists and the liberal media.

FU

 

[RobertD]

Racism is alive and well, kool aid drinker. Other than David Duke, name a racist? Don’t be a useful idiot of the Marxists. By the way, the culture you speak of is not our culture. It’s the culture of the neo Marxists and the liberal media.

We managed to have a pretty heated discussion in this thread with some strong disagreements that led to a lot of insightful posts from a lot of users without getting the thing locked. Please don't show up now and screw it up with name-calling and political hyperbole.

 

[A Guy Out West]

We managed to have a pretty heated discussion in this thread with some strong disagreements that led to a lot of insightful posts from a lot of users without getting the thing locked. Please don't show up now and screw it up with name-calling and political hyperbole.

It’s just the truth.

 

[A Guy Out West]

FU

Classic.

 

[SAJ-99]

Today marks the 145th anniversary of the Custer Battle of 1876. He died a hero’s death, but since has been vilified in history as anything but a hero. I have studied him and the battle and find him fiercely misunderstood.

Yesterday and today I visited the battlefield and can’t help feeling the impact of all the events surrounding the battle. Anyone visiting the state of Montana should include this site in their visit...

I agree it is a great place to visit. Disagree that history has changed much. There has been controversy around him since the event took place. Mostly it is all correct, the good and the bad. Hubris got him to his position and eventually did him in.

I think his name is on too much stuff. Winners get to write the history and name stuff I guess.

 

[glass eye]

The Americans on both sides HAD to have respected each other as warriors/soldiers.

But, nobody recognizes that, doesn't matter, etc. ...

After the battle the women stripped and mutilated the bodies of the Calvary. They slashed them open, cut off the genitals, and caved in their heads. There are photos of this.
This was to make them useless in the afterlife.
This is why nearly all the graves state "Unknown Soldier " Custer's brother was only recognizable by his tattoos.
All but 2 were mutilated, only Custer and the reporter were left intact. They obviously had respect for Custer. Why the reporter, who knows.

 

[JLS]

How the Battle of Little Bighorn Was Won

Accounts of the 1876 battle have focused on Custer's ill-fated cavalry. But a new book offers a take from the Indian's point of view

www.smithsonianmag.com

 

[A Guy Out West]

After the battle the women stripped and mutilated the bodies of the Calvary. They slashed them open, cut off the genitals, and caved in their heads. There are photos of this.
This was to make them useless in the afterlife.
This is why nearly all the graves state "Unknown Soldier " Custer's brother was only recognizable by his tattoos.
All but 2 were mutilated, only Custer and the reporter were left intact. They obviously had respect for Custer. Why the reporter, who knows.

Are you saying that the people he forced genocide on had more respect for him than our modern day woke individuals? Who would have thunk that???