Battle of Little Bighorn Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Battle of Little Bighorn - Essay ExampleHis over-zealous approach, arrogant attitude, and egotistical need for glory direct an inexperienced and washed-out 7th Cavalry onto a battlefield of unknown terrain to fight an enemy of unknown sizing. As the sun set, Little Bighorn was littered with the remains of 220 under-equipped and unsupplied soldiers that Custer led to their death. The Battle of Little Bighorn may not have been winnable, but under Custers command it was a certain death sentence and a breeze through failure.The preparation for the Battle of the Little Bighorn began at Fort Abraham Lincoln as early as the Fall of 1875. Here, the Army made two errors that would afterward prove fatal. The troops provided were inexperienced and had reportedly had been in moreover one previous Indian skirmish. Though the choice of soldiers may not have been Custers, their kind and physical preparation was the ultimate responsibility of the field commander. According to a 1909 interview with Second Lieutenant Winfield S. Edgerly, ...No one expected the Indians would make a live on anywhere and fight. (as cited in Hammer, 1990, p. 53). He further illuminates Custers attitude toward the ensuing battle when he contends, Custers idea was that Indians would scatter and run in all directions (as cited in Hammer, 1990, p. 53). ... The concluding estimation places the Indian force at between 5000 and 8000 warriors. Due to Indian agents desire to inflate reservation populations and maximise government-sponsored goods, the Army initially estimated that there were only about 1000 Indians off the reservation (Fox, 1993, p. 233). Yet, once again, it was Custer who failed to adjust and conceive the most rudimentary battlefield planning. Though the Army had miscalculated the Indian force, Custer was warned of the impending size of the opposition as estimates began to rise when Custers scouts reported a larger force as early as June 22 (Fox, 1993, p. 233).The reconnaissance issu e also includes a failure to adequately scout the terrain on which the regiment was planning on waging their attack. Three hours before the battle, Benteen reported that there were hills on all sides (as cited in Sklenar, 2000, p. 115). Yet, Custer press on not only into unfavourable, but also unknown terrain. The area where Custer died provided a poor defensive position and gave the adversary a distinct receipts (Fox, 1993, p. 231). The hills where Custers men were situated were sloping and cut with deep ravines, forcing the men to dismount and take up defensive positions (Bereit, 2000). The overwhelming strength of the Indians allowed them to repeatedly stampede Custers position. When Custer reached inwardly 15 miles of the Little Bighorn, Mitch Bouyer, the mixed-blood scout, reported to Custer that the force was the largest he had ever seen assembled (Fox, 1993, p. 233). Bloody Knife, an Ankara scout, agreed. However, Custer berated Bouyer for his cowardice and ignored his scou ts intelligence. At this