re: #72 Barbarian at the Gate

Well the big fear in the campaign of 1876 was that the Indians would escape. If he did not attack and the village broke up and scattered, he could have been court martialed. The Indian most responsible for the great victory that day was Gall (the adopted brother of Sitting Bull) a Hunkpapa war chief who first helped stop Major Reno, then led the frontal attack on Custer’s battallion while Crazy Horse and Two Moons hit him from the flank and rear.

yes the Indians had repeating rifles.

I’ve read several books about that fight and not one author was generous to Custer…Crook was supposed to cut off any retreat to the north, he withdrew from the field after his Powder River fight, but Custer did not know that…as soon as he himself saw the Indian encampment he should have pulled back, but he had never once been defeated in the field…he pressed on and the rest is history…he fucked up bigtime…his confidence was his demise