A few years ago, my son and I took a trip to the Midwest and the West. While we were in Montana, we saw a sign for the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, where Custer's Last Stand (known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass by Native Americans) took place. I decided to stop and briefly got off, before seeing another sign indicating that it would be the better part of an hour's drive away. This was towards the end of the day, after having driven for hours and as we were approaching the campground where we were staying for the night. So at that point, I thought better of it and turned back onto the highway we were on, heading once again towards our campsite.
It was a bit depressing, because this seemed like the one chance that we would get to visit this famous historic site.
However, we approached it and eventually drove right by it the next morning, which was exciting. So once again, I took the exit, only this time with the intent of actually paying the place a visit. Which my son and I finally did.
At the time, I was only passingly familiar with that chapter in history. But that was the kind of a place where the history feels to come alive. You almost sensed that this place had not really changed all that much since the actual events unfolded during that fateful battle.
For the Native Americans, this has to feel bittersweet. On the one hand, it became a famous battle known as the one time that they actually defeated a modern army. Yet, this also marked the end of their independence and traditional way of life. Embarrassed by this defeat, the United States government came back with reinforcements and a vengeance, forcing some Lakota to flee, wanting to avoid the reservation system which would effectively imprison them.
As for Custer and his men, you cannot help but think of some unanswered questions while visiting this place. How did the Native Americans manage to outsmart and defeat a powerful and modern army? What exactly happened, and did Custer die late in the battle, as often is depicted, or did he die early, as some contend? For that matter, one cannot help but wonder what his last thoughts were, just before perishing.
Indeed, these questions and plenty more have added to the lore of the place. Yet, the questions themselves are part of the problem, because they are unanswerable:
“To study this battle is to enter quicksand,” historian Stephen E. Ambrose warned readers in his 1975 book, Crazy Horse and Custer.
So we are warned.
Yet, this place felt like it had part of the lore of the American West. After all, a major event, one which helped to define the West in some ways, had taken place here. Plus, this particular event has the air of mystery and intrigue to it, involving as it does the mysterious death of a prominent American figure, as well as the seeming last stand, ironically, of the Native Americans.
It has intrigued the popular American imagination enough to be not only the subject of movies and stories, but also to have those movies reflect the changing attitudes towards American history, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn in particular, over different times. Again, a snippet from the article (see link below):
Custer’s posthumous reputation would rise and fall over the decades, especially as historians replaced dime novel hacks in telling his story. Close to 70 movies, from the silent era onward, have also offered their own takes on the Custer legend. In They Died with Their Boots On, a huge 1941 hit, Erroll Flynn gave moviegoers a dashing and heroic Custer. A year earlier, future president Ronald Reagan had portrayed him as an earnest young West Pointer, pre-Little Bighorn, in Santa Fe Trail. But in 1970’s Little Big Man, Custer was reduced to a comical madman, with sitcom actor Richard Mulligan playing the role opposite Dustin Hoffman.
So attitudes about the most famous - or perhaps infamous - figure involved in the Little Bighorn have shifted quite dramatically over time, and with different movies.
Yet, those might be temporary, as well. While older movies portrayed Custer in heroic terms, more people in recent days began to question him and his motives. Indeed, to view him almost as symbolic of everything that was (and perhaps is still) wrong with the American character and culture.
Take a look at this fascinating article below:
All of the specific quotes used above were taken from this short article (see link below) about the anniversary of this famous battle. I recommend reading it, because it was both interesting and illuminating. Take a look:
A Century and a Half After Custer’s Last Stand, the Battle of Little Bighorn Continues to Mystify by Greg Daugherty | History Correspondent June 24, 2026:
The June 1876 firefight resulted in the deaths of George Armstrong Custer and 267 of his men. Historians continue to debate exactly how the Lakota Sioux and the Northern Cheyenne secured their victory over the U.S. Army
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-century-and-a-half-after-custers-last-stand-the-battle-of-little-bighorn-continues-to-mystify-180988984/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&lctg=98217613&user_id=94e433415b0144d9acbc3fda312292e70f80b1a346bfc9e62a5a35be6c37fe99
A Century and a Half After Custer's Last Stand, the Battle of Little Bighorn Continues to Mystify
Below are some of the pictures that I took from our visit to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument nearly three years ago. Enjoy:
A Century and a Half After Custer’s Last Stand, the Battle of Little Bighorn Continues to Mystify by Greg Daugherty | History Correspondent June 24, 2026:
The June 1876 firefight resulted in the deaths of George Armstrong Custer and 267 of his men. Historians continue to debate exactly how the Lakota Sioux and the Northern Cheyenne secured their victory over the U.S. Army
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-century-and-a-half-after-custers-last-stand-the-battle-of-little-bighorn-continues-to-mystify-180988984/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&lctg=98217613&user_id=94e433415b0144d9acbc3fda312292e70f80b1a346bfc9e62a5a35be6c37fe99
A Century and a Half After Custer's Last Stand, the Battle of Little Bighorn Continues to Mystify
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