A Companion to Custer and the Little Bighorn Campaign

• An accessible and authoritative overview of the scholarship that has shaped our understanding of one of the most iconic battles in the history of the American West
• Combines contributions from an array of respected scholars, historians, and battlefield scientists
• Outlines the political and cultural conditions that laid the foundation for the Centennial Campaign and examines how George Armstrong Custer became its figurehead
• Provides a detailed analysis of the battle maneuverings at Little Bighorn, paying special attention to Indian testimony from the battlefield
• Concludes with a section examining how the Battle of Little Bighorn has been mythologized and its pervading influence on American culture

List of Illustrations viii

Notes on Contributors x

Acknowledgments xiv

Introduction 1
Brad D. Lookingbill

Part I The Indians of the Northern Plains 11

1 The Lakota Sioux 13
Rani‐Henrik Andersson

2 The Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho 34
Leo Killsback

3 Patriot Chiefs 54
Kurt Windisch

4 The Native Way of War 74
Daniel Sauerwein

5 Auxiliaries and Scouts 92
Adam R. Hodge

Part II The US Army in the Western Territories 111

6 The Policies of War and Peace 113
Bill Carney

7 Forts on the Northern Plains 130
Janne Lahti

8 Army Life 148
Robin S. Conner

9 Women and Dependents 170
Shannon D. Smith

10 Technology and Tactics 188
Andrew J. Forney

Part III The Making of George Armstrong Custer 209

11 A Young General 211
Mark Ehlers

12 Commander in the West 229
Jeff Broome

13 The 7th Cavalry 246
John R. Dreyer

14 Elizabeth Bacon Custer 264
Tonia M. Compton

Part IV Into the Valley 283

15 The Convergence 285
Debra J. Sheffer

16 The Reno‐Benteen Site 302
Wesley Moody III

17 Custer’s Fight 318
Bob Reece

18 The Aftermath 341
Alan M. Anderson

Part V The Last Stand of Myth and Memory 367

19 Native Traditions 369
Carole A. Barrett

20 The Press 387
Hugh J. Reilly

21 Popular Culture 404
Rebecca S. Wingo

22 Reenacting the Battle 423
Jeremy M. Johnston

23 The Legacy of Archaeology 445
Douglas D. Scott

24 A National Monument 462
Douglas Seefeldt and Jason A. Heppler

25 The Battle of History 485
Michael Welsh

Index 505

"Each of the twenty-five authors that contributed to this volume brings solid credentials to the discussion. The fact that twenty-five authors and twenty-five different topics were required to provide a comprehensive overview of the battle adds additional strength to the Companion. It serves to emphasize how incredibly complex the 1876 campaign really was." (The Denver Westerners Roundup, May - June 2016) Brad D. Lookingbill is Professor of History at Columbia College of Missouri. He is the author of The American Military: A Narrative History (Wiley, 2014) and War Dance at Fort Marion: Plains Indian War Prisoners (2014), and is the editor of American Military History: A Documentary Reader (Wiley, 2010). Lookingbill has received several teaching awards, most recently the Eugene Asher Distinguished Teaching Award from the American Historical Association in 2010. Prior to pursuing a career in academia, Dr. Lookingbill served in the Army National Guard and Reserve.

The Battle of Little Bighorn is an iconic conflict in the history of the American West. A Companion to Custer and the Little Bighorn Campaign offers an authoritative and accessible overview of the scholarship that has shaped our understanding of this seminal battle. The five sections of this companion outline Native American culture; the United States military presence in the Western territories; George Armstrong Custer; the military maneuvers of the Battle itself; and the Battle of Little Bighorn’s cultural legacy.

Combining contributions from an array of respected scholars, A Companion to Custer and the Little Bighorn Campaign will be an essential guide to the history and historiography of this pivotal moment in American history.