Many, many years ago, when I was stationed at Wm. Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, TX, I read a biography by a man who was the son of a Army doctor who served on a lot of the reservations in the Southwest. When he was younger, he befriended many Indian youths and eventually, learned many stories from their elders around the campfire. According to him, some of the elders who had been at the Battle of the Little Big Horn told him that it was not the Indian way to completely wipe out their enemy, but instead, to kill off the enemy to about half their size so they could could not only go forward and tell others of the prowess of their enemy, but also, they could serve as worthy opponents for future fights. Also, according to the elders, they were afraid of incurring the wrath of the Great Spirit by wiping out an entire enemy force. The writer said that the elders were shocked when many of Custer's soldiers suddenly started shooting themselves as the battle progressed. It is known that many troopers had suicide pacts with their fellow troopers to avoid capture by the Indians, and if I recall correctly, many of the bodies of the troopers showed evidence of close range gunshot wounds to the head. I don't know if the story is try or not, but I always thought it was an interesting alternative view. Also, I found it interesting that the Indians didn't disfigure Custer's body, the women pierced his eardrums with a needle so he would be able to hear clearly in the afterlife since he wouldn't listen while he was on earth.
Regards,
Dave
