MovieChat Forums > They Died with Their Boots On (1942) Discussion > New Evidence Questioning The Last Stand!

New Evidence Questioning The Last Stand!

posted 14 years ago by webfix
10 replies | jump to latest

Watched a very interesting history program on SKY tonight (they've been having an America At War day), and it claimed that, following new evidence uncovered by a forest fire (which left the ground bare and, as a result, fully accessible for archeological exploration), the famous "Last Stand" may not have happened in quite the same way we have long imagined after all. It even claimed that the battle lasted no more than a few seconds, and that some of Custer's soldiers broke off from the defensive circle that the cavalry had formed and fought it out with the indian braves by a gully.

Did anybody else see this program? If so, what did you make of it? Do you think it carries any real credence?

It's funny, isn't it, the way our minds are ingrained with fixed images of famous historical events like Big Horn (e.g. in countless depictions, we ALWAYS see Custer in his buckskins, bravely standing amid his men and firing away at the indians swarming all around his contingent) - and then, when we get to know the TRUE facts of what actually DID happen, all those Hollywood movies we so enjoyed no longer seem quite as accurate as we thought they were. Bit of an anti-climax and all that.

Admittedly, I did used to suspect that Custer may not have been the last man in the contingent to be killed by the Indians, as he was so depicted in the movies. However, after watching that program tonight, I must admit that I was very surprised at the researchers' findings, and never once thought that Big Horn may have played out in such an entirely different scenerio to the one I had always imagined! It's akin to the Iwo Jima thing, isn't it, where John Wayne gets shot whilst erecting the flag (another jazzed up climax cooked up by Hollywood to enhance the film's entertainment factor.)

Consequently, when I watch a movie now based on ANY historical event, I am always wondering just how much of it is true and how much is made up.

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[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] JimB-4 14 years ago

You might want to look at SANDS OF IWO JIMA before repeating this description, as Wayne's character has nothing to do with the actual raising of the flag on Mt. Suribachi, merely witnessing the raising like thousands of other Marines in the real fight did. He does NOT get shot raising the flag, but dies smoking a cigarette. Not exactly a "jazzed-up" ending.

[–] ashkanpashakola 13 years ago

last stand was real but custer wasnt among them . the place that they found body of custer near river shows custer killed at beggining of the battle . at the end of battle 28 soldiers encircle at last stand and before they killed they killed many indians .

[–] richardpaperboy 11 years ago

It has been suggested that Custer was actually killed by his brother Tom, Custer suffered a possible fatal chest wound. The wound would not have killed him outright but he would not been able to stand, he also suffered from a close in bullet to his forehead, the only body found near Custer was that of his brother tom. No Sioux ever claimed credit for killing Custer which would have given them great power in the tribe. One of the warriors did claim to fight with Tom whom he said was crying. So the feeling is the Custer was badly wounded but alive and seeing many warriors approaching he had no choice but to save Custer from suffering at their hands. Indians scalped they did not finish them off by shooting them.

[–] Makeagoodmovie 10 years ago

The story they tell at the actual battlefield is that Sheridan was to attack the village from the West. To get his troops far enough West it would take 2 days. Benteen was to attack from the East and Custer from the North. While Sheridan was gone Custer thought his troops had been spotted and decided to attack. He sent someone to Benteen to with a note telling him to attack. The problem was, the guy Custer sent did not speak English and Benteen did not misunderstood Custer's note for help, so he never attacked. Custer split his troops up and had one group attack from the East. Custer underestimated the size of the village and although he thought he was attacking from the West, he accidentally attacked the middle of the village. Once he realized this he and his troops retreated, but because he attacked the middle of the village they were quickly surrounded. As they retreated, some of Custer's troops broke off of his unit and tried to get away, some could not get out of the village and died by the river bank (including Sturgis from the city that has the motorcycle rally each year). Custer died early in the battle once surrounded, surrounded by what was remaining of his troops.

It was not like in some movies where he goes into a valley and then realizes he is surrounded by Indians.

It's funny because a guy named Federman a few years earlier took 80 troops from his fort and tried to take on 3,000 Indians and got destroyed. No one ever talks about the Federman Massacre.

[–] lisajohn-4 9 years ago

Re: Federman......there is a simple reason why no one talks about the Federman Massacre. That's because his name was Fetterman. Captain William J. Fetterman. On December 21, 1866 he was ordered by his commanding officer, Col. Carrington, to relieve a wood-cutting party under attack, but to not proceed beyond Lodge Trail Ridge. But, lured by a few Indian decoys, he did just that and his men paid the price. White Elk said, some 48 years later, that there were more Indians than at the Battle of the Little Bighorn ....in excess of 1,000. This event has been covered in numerous books, so lots of people have talked about the "Federman" Massacre. People would be well advised to read a book once in a while. Try Dee Brown's "The Fetterman Massacre".

[–] ATG6 (3000) 4 years ago

There were over 2,000 warriors at the Little Big Horn. Custer thought the main force was engaing Reno's men, but that was just a distraction as the main force circled around and cut Custer off from the high ground.

[–] CoriSCapnSkip (1561) 5 years ago

On the 100th anniversary of the Fetterman massacre in 1966, Robert Fuller portrayed the ill-fated western military Captain William Judd Fetterman in the episode "Massacre at Fort Phil Kearney," near Fort Phil Kearny in Wyoming, one of NBC's "Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre." Carroll O'Connor also played a major role. The program was extremely well-done and is sadly mostly forgotten today except by people especially interested in the history, or fans of the actors who appeared in it.

[–] ATG6 (3000) 4 years ago

Fetterman's famous last words: "Give me 80 armed men and I can ride through the whole Sioux nation."

[–] ATG6 (3000) 4 years ago

Custer wasn't scalped by the Sioux, because he fought so bravely. Sitting Bull said they had never seen a man fight like that. He said Custer laughed as he fell, and shot another enemy warrior.