Custer was a POS. but if Benteen had joined the battle when he was supposed to maybe there would have been a better chance, or better odds
I disagree. Benteen could have done nothing to save Custer, and is actually the hero of the day.
According to the few Indian accounts that survive, mainly through the efforts of Dr. Marquis, the battle lasted "about as long as it takes a man to eat his dinner." Benteen could not have even gotten to Custer hill before they were dead in all probability.
His cool thinking and leadership on Reno hill definitely saved the day, and the lives in that group.
Custer was an egotistic fool. He thought himself destined for greatness, and had led a charmed life,usually benefitted by circumstances in battle. No doubt he was brave- to a fault.
When his Crow scouts found the village, part of it was not visible because of the terrain. It is most likely the largest gathering of Plains Indians that had ever occured. What the scouts
could see was the pony herd, and they were astounded by its size. They kept telling Custer "BIG village" to no avail. Instead of waiting for the other units he was supposed to rendevous with, he wanted to attack "before they slipped away". Yeah, right!
MOST of the Crow scouts slipped away rather than ride with Custer to their certain deaths..........
Most of the CMH's awarded were given to the water bearers in this group of survivors- men who exposed themselves to travel down the hill to the creek for water- numerous times over the course of the two day battle on Reno hill. It was said that all suffered terribly from thirst, especially the wounded, on that hot hill with no overhead cover.
One of the most perplexing things about the battle is Reno's lackluster performance when attacking the village from the South. I understand his dismay when met with overwhelming numbers just after crossing the creek, but I don't get his confusion and indecisiveness in the ensuing fight in the woods and the panic rout recrossing the creek to Reno hill. The man had an excellent record in the Civil War, having always performed well. He had FIVE horses shot from under him in that war! I can only assume he had been totally unnerved when Bloody Knife's (Indian scout) brains and blood were blown into his face in the fight in the woods.
The myth persists that the Indians were well armed with every manner of NEW repeater. Again, through the accounts relayed through Dr. Marquis from actual participants, it just ain't so. At best, they had a few Springfields and a Colt or two taken when they whipped Crook on the Rosebud a few weeks earlier. There MAY have been a few Winchesters. Bear in mind most had just jumped the reservation a few weeks or months earlier, and had been on the run since. Where did fugitives in the middle of the wilderness acquire the most modern firearms on the market?
According to the Indians, the tactic that whipped Custer was INDIRECT fire. The Indians crawled up the numerous gullies, covered from fire by the troopers, and shot ARROWS in high arcs that came down on the troopers. There were probably 1000-1500 warriors using this tactic, possibly more. Custer had around 228 souls as I recall.
Form the way the bodies were found in one gully, it is possible that a squad or two from E troop (the Grays) had become isolated and surrounded. Some Indian accounts say some of these men committed suicide from fear of being taken alive and tortured. A mystery hidden in the mists of time......
The Indians were impressed with one officer enough to pass on an account of his bravery. A Capt was shot from his horse, the bullet apparently breaking his leg and renedring him incapable of standing. They said he sat calmly beneath his wounded horse, fighting with his revolver till he was killed or died. This may have been Capt. Myles Keogh.
25 years ago, I collected and dealt in rare and out-of-print books. At that time, Custer's last fight had more books written about it than any other
specific battle in the history of the world with ONE exception.
Can anyone guess which battle that battle would be? 
