"Mysteries at the Museum" Battle of Little Bighorn: Mysteries at the Museum Specials
ID | 13179268 |
---|---|
Movie Name | "Mysteries at the Museum" Battle of Little Bighorn: Mysteries at the Museum Specials |
Release Name | Mysteries.at.the.Museum.S17E32.Battle.of.Little.Bighorn.1080p.Travel.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-Absinth |
Year | 2018 |
Kind | tv |
Language | English |
IMDB ID | 7890732 |
Format | srt |
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Do you want subtitles for any video?
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I'm heading back to the Wild West,
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to the most famous battle of the American frontier...
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...to investigate the defeat of a celebrated general,
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George Armstrong Custer.
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Heralded as a fearless leader, Custer became an icon
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whose astonishing legend is still with us today.
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He was the best cavalry leader we had at the time
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in the Union Army, bar none.
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But how much of his story is actually true?
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How did this distinguished general
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lose such a pivotal battle and his life?
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There's a story here that still haunts
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the American consciousness even today.
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What really happened here on this battlefield?
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And what were the consequences of that fateful day?
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I'm Don Wildman.
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I've explored the world's greatest mysteries,
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examined rare artifacts and epic monuments.
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That is unbelievable!
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Now, I'm digging deeper into some of the most perplexing
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and famous cases in history.
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My goal -- to get closer to the truth.
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Let's burn this place down. Let's burn it down.
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This is "Mysteries at the Museum:
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Battle of Little Big Horn."
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June 25th, 1876 --
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One of the most notorious battles in US history
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took place on this very site.
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This was the time of the American frontier.
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Pioneers venturing deeper into the Wild West
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were coming into conflict with tribes of Native Americans,
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who were forced to defend their way of life.
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These conflicts were collectively known
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as the Indian Wars.
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The 7th Cavalry of the US Army,
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commanded by the enigmatic George Armstrong Custer,
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fought an alliance of tribes led by legendary chiefs,
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including Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.
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The story goes that Custer and the men in his immediate command
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ended up surrounded on a hill.
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Rather than retreat, they bravely made their last stand.
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Custer and all the men in his battalion were killed.
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The Battle of the Little Bighorn still fascinates people today,
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and thousands of visitors flock here
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to the battle site each year.
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Historians have spent decades
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debating the sequence of events of that day,
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but what do we really know about the battle,
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and how much of what we know is fact and how much is fiction?
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Why did the battle take place?
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How did Custer die?
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And why is one of the most talked about conflicts
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in American military history one where the US lost?
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The key to uncovering what really happened
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is understanding the people involved.
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Who was George Custer?
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And who were the famed 7th Cavalry
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who fought and died that day?
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To find out, where better to go
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than the annual reenactment of the battle?
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But the only way to ride with the 7th Cavalry
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in the reenactment is to complete the necessary training.
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Time to sign up for the Army.
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Mark? How are you doing? I'm Don.
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Good to meet you, Don. How you doing?
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Mark Jacobsen has been taking part in battle reenactments
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for 30 years.
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Everybody stays here...
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This is the only place where people can ride
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on the battlefield and train
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to be a US Cavalry trooper on the frontier.
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These guys know everything there is to know
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about Custer and the cavalry he commanded.
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Okay...
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Born in 1839, George Custer rose to fame
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by fighting for the Union Army in the American Civil War.
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Fearless in battle, he quickly made a name for himself
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as a valiant leader.
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Twelve years later, he was leading the 7th Cavalry,
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the cavalry I'm joining today.
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So I'm getting the whole uniform?
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You get the whole uniform. Fantastic.
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I mean, you've got to feel the sweat...
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...in order to be part of this whole experience.
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Yeah, exactly.
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That's the intent, you know.
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This represents what the troopers would have been wearing
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in 1876 on the Little Bighorn campaign.
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What you have here is a modified version
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of what they were issued in the Civil War.
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So my first point is,
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this feels like it's going to be incredibly hot.
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Why would they issue this in this kind of heat?
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You know, a trooper in the 19th-century
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Indian-fighting Army was issued one uniform
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to last them from 110 degrees in the shade...
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I see. ...to 30 degrees below zero in the winter.
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Yeah, yeah. That was what you got.
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All right.
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This annual reenactment of the battle
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has been taking place for 3 decades.
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More than 150 riders and reenactors participate,
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and hundreds of people gather to view the spectacle.
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Incredibly, the event is held on the very same site
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as the original battle,
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and relatives of the actual fighters take part.
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This is living history,
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and attention to detail is everything.
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All right. Ta-da!
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Yeah. What do you think?
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Excellent. You're looking great.
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-How close to real is this? -You're spot on.
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This was the uniform.
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I am reporting for duty, sir.
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All right. Very good.
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Well, let's go get you on a horse.
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Uh-oh. There's that too.
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Oh, is this my horse?
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This is Trinity, your horse.
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Nice ride.
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WILDMAN: The cavalry was a branch of the Army
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that fought on horseback.
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The 7th Cavalry had been created just after the Civil War.
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Custer and his cavalry's task was to patrol the Plains
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for raiding Native Americans and protect white pioneers
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as they moved further west.
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So in order to graduate Cavalry School,
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battle reenactors must first prove they can ride a horse.
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-Okay. I'm on a horse. -All right.
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Let's see if you can make him go.
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Roughly one in three of Custer's troops
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at the Battle of the Little Bighorn
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were raw recruits,
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who had joined the Army just months beforehand.
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Nearly half had been born overseas,
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and many had barely even ridden a horse.
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This was a time when millions of German,
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Irish and other Europeans were emigrating to the US
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in search of a better life.
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A lot had enlisted in the Army
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because they couldn't find any other work.
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Okay, Don.
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Now we're going to bring in two other riders,
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and we're going to sandwich you in a formation.
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-Okay, good. -Okay?
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-Bring in the cavalry. -Bring them in!
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It's one thing to worry about, you know, finding gas...
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you know, for your vehicles.
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These are vehicles that need to be grazed, watered, rested.
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Exactly. It is a whole other level of management
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as to how to move a military unit across a space.
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Exactly. Okay. Well, let's go to the next step.
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Let's issue you some weaponry.
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Ah, the gun.
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-Yeah, the hardware. -Off we go.
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Look at this arsenal.
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Wow, an array of weaponry.
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So if I was a recruit coming into town, as I am,
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what would I typically be issued?
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Okay. You'd report to your company,
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and the company had a stack of arms,
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and they'd issue a carbine. One of these. Okay.
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-One of those. -This is my gun.
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And am I going to get extensive training on this, or no?
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Unfortunately, there was not a lot of extensive training.
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All right.
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WILDMAN: Marksmanship training in the Frontier Army
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was almost nonexistent.
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There was no formal target practice,
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and recruits were given just 20 rounds of ammunition per year
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to practice with.
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Most of the reenactors here have a lot more training
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than the actual troops did.
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So how do I get good at this?
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We're going to issue your very own pistol and cartridge belt.
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Oh, well, that's a dangerous thing to do, but thank you.
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-All right.
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-All right. Like so, yeah? -Very good.
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All right, well, I look the part, but can I do it?
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That's the question.
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WILDMAN: More than 270 troops of the 7th Cavalry
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were killed along with Custer
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at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
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One of the theories for the high casualties
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is that newer recruits didn't know how to use their weapons.
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Today, it's a different story.
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In order to graduate from Cavalry School,
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battle reenactors need to know how to handle a gun.
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-Good. -Nice to see you.
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This is a reproduction
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of an 1873 Colt Single Action Army revolver,
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the very pistol issued to the 7th Cavalry.
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-Whenever you're ready. -All right.
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I'm getting there.
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All right. Same thing.
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It's harder than you think.
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It is harder than you think, and imagine doing this
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on a horse with people shooting arrows at you!
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I mean, the unbelievable factors these guys are doing.
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It's not just my fault. It's hard!
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Many of the people who take part in the reenactment
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have been trained in the modern military,
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and their experience shows.
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Show me how it's done.
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There you go.
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Excellent aim.
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-Thank you. -Nice work.
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By today's standards, many of Custer's men
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were undertrained raw recruits.
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The older troops had gained experience in the Civil War,
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just as Custer himself had,
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but the more recent recruits
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were hardly the best of the best.
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With my limited training, I'd fit right in.
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Trooper Wildman, post.
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Trooper Wildman, be it hereby known that on the 25th of June,
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you graduated from the US Cavalry School,
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Custer's Last Ride Adventure.
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You've earned the right to wear the colors
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of Custer's favorite battalion.
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Thank you, sir.
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I feel like I have a pretty good understanding
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of what it was like to train with the 7th Cavalry
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and to be one of Custer's men,
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but what about the man himself,
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their famous commander who was leading them to their fate?
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Who was George Armstrong Custer?
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The Battle of the Little Bighorn is remembered
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by most people as the infamous last stand
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in which George Custer was massacred
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by Native American warriors,
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but who was this general, this man?
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What brought him to this region, to this fight,
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and how much of his legend is really true?
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It's time I meet the man I'm following into battle.
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General Custer, nice to meet you.
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Steve Alexander has been playing the role
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of George Armstrong Custer for most of his life.
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He even bought the house that Custer himself once lived in.
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Yeah. You can call me Steve,
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but every day I'm General Custer. Really?
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I wake up in General Custer's house.
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That's pretty wild.
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So General George Custer, what's the intrigue for you?
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Well, I've always had a hankering to come out West,
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and the West is epitomized in those heroes
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such as Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill Hickok,
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and General Custer. Mm-hmm.
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He was an accomplished military man during the Civil War.
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He had a great deal of nerve and veracity
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that put him in charge of 60 successful cavalry charges,
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11 horses shot from under him... Hmm.
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...saying, "Come on, men, follow me,"
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not, "Go get them, boys."
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00:13:35,015 --> 00:13:36,348
Yeah. He was on the front,
257
00:13:36,350 --> 00:13:39,084
and he rose through his profession at the age of 23,
258
00:13:39,086 --> 00:13:42,620
becoming the youngest Union general at that time.
259
00:13:42,622 --> 00:13:45,223
By 25, he was a major general,
260
00:13:45,225 --> 00:13:46,958
the youngest in the history of our country.
261
00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:48,827
He was the best cavalry leader
262
00:13:48,829 --> 00:13:52,230
we had at the time in the Union Army, bar none.
263
00:13:53,834 --> 00:13:55,233
WILDMAN: George Custer took part
264
00:13:55,235 --> 00:13:57,702
in many major battles of the Civil War,
265
00:13:57,704 --> 00:13:59,170
and quickly rose through the ranks
266
00:13:59,172 --> 00:14:01,973
to become a successful general.
267
00:14:01,975 --> 00:14:04,709
In the 1870s, he was reinventing himself
268
00:14:04,711 --> 00:14:07,712
as a premier fighter in the Indian Wars.
269
00:14:07,714 --> 00:14:09,714
These kinds of wars had been happening 20 years --
270
00:14:09,716 --> 00:14:12,183
But they had been perfected by General Custer,
271
00:14:12,185 --> 00:14:14,519
and that's why he was the foremost Indian fighter
272
00:14:14,521 --> 00:14:15,654
on the frontier.
273
00:14:19,059 --> 00:14:21,726
Was he always sort of a romantic figure?
274
00:14:21,728 --> 00:14:24,863
He had a charismatic appeal that even when his wife
275
00:14:24,865 --> 00:14:27,131
and him walked down the streets of Monroe,
276
00:14:27,133 --> 00:14:29,401
people would want to walk with him and talk with him.
277
00:14:29,403 --> 00:14:31,469
He had a celebrity status.
278
00:14:31,471 --> 00:14:34,806
Back then, we didn't have Kardashians...
279
00:14:34,808 --> 00:14:36,942
...or Paris Hilton.
280
00:14:36,944 --> 00:14:39,878
It was all the military people...
281
00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:41,412
-Sure. -...maybe politicians,
282
00:14:41,414 --> 00:14:44,482
but no one captured the imagination
283
00:14:44,484 --> 00:14:46,151
of the American people
284
00:14:46,153 --> 00:14:49,621
except for the West and men like General Custer.
285
00:14:57,497 --> 00:15:01,299
So how exactly did this famous, accomplished general
286
00:15:01,301 --> 00:15:02,968
meet his end?
287
00:15:02,970 --> 00:15:06,438
What happened to him on that fateful day?
288
00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:10,909
June 25th, 1876, saw one of the worst defeats
289
00:15:10,911 --> 00:15:12,911
in US military history.
290
00:15:12,913 --> 00:15:15,980
Right here on the banks of the Little Bighorn River,
291
00:15:15,982 --> 00:15:18,983
the lives of two famous and esteemed leaders,
292
00:15:18,985 --> 00:15:21,987
George Armstrong Custer and Sitting Bull,
293
00:15:21,989 --> 00:15:24,522
came crashing together in a battle
294
00:15:24,524 --> 00:15:26,791
that would go down for the ages.
295
00:15:30,330 --> 00:15:32,264
On the morning of June 25th,
296
00:15:32,266 --> 00:15:34,599
Custer and the troops of the 7th Cavalry
297
00:15:34,601 --> 00:15:36,334
were camped along the Little Bighorn,
298
00:15:36,336 --> 00:15:39,204
the river from which the battle takes its name.
299
00:15:39,206 --> 00:15:41,339
They were part of a larger military effort
300
00:15:41,341 --> 00:15:43,608
to search for Plains Native Americans,
301
00:15:43,610 --> 00:15:45,877
who had defiantly left their reservations,
302
00:15:45,879 --> 00:15:48,413
and force them back.
303
00:15:48,415 --> 00:15:51,549
Today, I'm preparing for my own battle.
304
00:15:51,551 --> 00:15:53,151
In just a couple of hours' time,
305
00:15:53,153 --> 00:15:55,954
an enormous performance is going to take place.
306
00:15:55,956 --> 00:15:59,758
Weeks of preparation will culminate in a huge reenactment
307
00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:02,727
of the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
308
00:16:02,729 --> 00:16:04,762
Okay. Let's talk about today's battle plan.
309
00:16:04,764 --> 00:16:06,297
We've got a lot to do.
310
00:16:06,299 --> 00:16:09,634
We're going to make some changes and go over our safety factors.
311
00:16:09,636 --> 00:16:11,970
WILDMAN: During the reenactment, I'll be riding into battle
312
00:16:11,972 --> 00:16:16,507
with Custer himself, as a member of his battalion.
313
00:16:16,509 --> 00:16:18,442
Man, there's a lot going on today.
314
00:16:18,444 --> 00:16:21,780
I mean, this is actually a kind of nervy situation,
315
00:16:21,782 --> 00:16:24,449
because the pressure of battle is enhanced
316
00:16:24,451 --> 00:16:25,984
by the pressure of performance.
317
00:16:25,986 --> 00:16:27,452
This is a whole thing, you know?
318
00:16:27,454 --> 00:16:29,921
They do this every year, and we got to get it right.
319
00:16:39,132 --> 00:16:40,798
WILDMAN: On the morning of the battle,
320
00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:43,401
Custer's scouts report that they've found an enormous
321
00:16:43,403 --> 00:16:44,869
Native American village,
322
00:16:44,871 --> 00:16:48,206
housing perhaps thousands of warriors.
323
00:16:48,208 --> 00:16:51,809
They also report that the calvary may have been spotted.
324
00:16:51,811 --> 00:16:54,412
Custer could not bear the thought of the villagers
325
00:16:54,414 --> 00:16:56,747
scattering and escaping capture,
326
00:16:56,749 --> 00:16:59,283
and so, instead of waiting for more troops,
327
00:16:59,285 --> 00:17:01,619
he decides on an immediate advance.
328
00:17:01,621 --> 00:17:04,488
This decision may have cost him his life.
329
00:17:06,093 --> 00:17:09,227
Here we go. Mounted up.
330
00:17:09,229 --> 00:17:14,165
Dividing his forces in three, Custer sends Major Marcus Reno
331
00:17:14,167 --> 00:17:17,101
and his men to charge the village from the south.
332
00:17:17,103 --> 00:17:19,304
Captain Frederick Benteen is ordered to prevent
333
00:17:19,306 --> 00:17:22,374
the Natives' escape to the southwest.
334
00:17:22,376 --> 00:17:23,908
Custer and his troops
335
00:17:23,910 --> 00:17:26,911
would attack the village from the east.
336
00:17:28,982 --> 00:17:32,850
As planned, Reno's battalion of over 170 soldiers
337
00:17:32,852 --> 00:17:34,652
attacks the southern end of the village.
338
00:17:34,654 --> 00:17:37,588
-Ready! Aim! Fire!
339
00:17:37,590 --> 00:17:40,791
Though initially surprised, warriors from the village manage
340
00:17:40,793 --> 00:17:43,461
to fend off Reno's assault.
341
00:17:43,463 --> 00:17:45,797
Reno is forced to retreat.
342
00:17:45,799 --> 00:17:49,868
Those of you who want to live, follow me.
343
00:17:49,870 --> 00:17:52,536
WILDMAN: Reno and his men retreat from the village.
344
00:17:52,538 --> 00:17:55,339
Benteen still lags far behind.
345
00:17:55,341 --> 00:17:58,743
Perhaps Custer thought that help was just around the corner,
346
00:17:58,745 --> 00:18:00,544
but it wasn't.
347
00:18:00,546 --> 00:18:04,015
Custer and his men are alone in their advance.
348
00:18:04,017 --> 00:18:10,822
What happens next will go down in history.
349
00:18:15,629 --> 00:18:18,496
WILDMAN: The Battle of the Little Bighorn is underway.
350
00:18:18,498 --> 00:18:21,299
Although separated from most of his 7th Calvary,
351
00:18:21,301 --> 00:18:24,635
George Custer is preparing to attack.
352
00:18:24,637 --> 00:18:26,303
So we're getting ready now.
353
00:18:26,305 --> 00:18:30,775
This is the gathering place for when we move over to the bluffs
354
00:18:30,777 --> 00:18:32,510
and get ready to charge down.
355
00:18:32,512 --> 00:18:33,845
This is all about setting up
356
00:18:33,847 --> 00:18:35,647
for the last stand, and, you know,
357
00:18:35,649 --> 00:18:37,114
these guys are very serious.
358
00:18:37,116 --> 00:18:38,917
We are all set here like we would be
359
00:18:38,919 --> 00:18:40,118
in a military situation,
360
00:18:40,120 --> 00:18:42,587
waiting for our commander to tell us when to go.
361
00:18:42,589 --> 00:18:44,789
It gets very serious at this point.
362
00:18:44,791 --> 00:18:47,525
I'm very anxious.
363
00:18:49,129 --> 00:18:50,729
Custer and his men
364
00:18:50,731 --> 00:18:53,331
charge towards the village from the east.
365
00:18:53,333 --> 00:18:57,068
Lakota and Cheyenne together cross the river and slam
366
00:18:57,070 --> 00:18:58,536
into the advancing soldiers,
367
00:18:58,538 --> 00:19:00,739
forcing them back.
368
00:19:00,741 --> 00:19:03,808
At the same time, another force of warriors,
369
00:19:03,810 --> 00:19:06,010
largely under Crazy Horse's command,
370
00:19:06,012 --> 00:19:07,812
swiftly moves downstream,
371
00:19:07,814 --> 00:19:10,081
enveloping Custer.
372
00:19:10,083 --> 00:19:13,084
They begin pouring in gunfire and arrows.
373
00:19:19,158 --> 00:19:20,959
Move forward! Get going! Get him up there!
374
00:19:20,961 --> 00:19:23,027
Get him up there!
375
00:19:23,029 --> 00:19:26,230
This is scary. Here they come.
376
00:19:28,968 --> 00:19:31,169
It's unbelievable how real this feels.
377
00:19:32,439 --> 00:19:34,238
Ready.
378
00:19:36,509 --> 00:19:39,444
WILDMAN: Custer and about 50 of his men are cornered
379
00:19:39,446 --> 00:19:43,314
on what is now called Last Stand Hill.
380
00:19:43,316 --> 00:19:47,919
Hundreds of Lakota and Cheyenne warriors surround them.
381
00:19:47,921 --> 00:19:51,322
As the fight progresses soldiers, some on foot,
382
00:19:51,324 --> 00:19:52,656
others on horseback,
383
00:19:52,658 --> 00:19:55,727
break out in a desperate attempt to get away.
384
00:19:55,729 --> 00:19:59,464
Custer is trapped, outnumbered, outskilled,
385
00:19:59,466 --> 00:20:02,466
and with no hope of rescue.
386
00:20:02,468 --> 00:20:04,602
This is his last stand.
387
00:20:06,873 --> 00:20:09,874
Shots fire. Arrows shoot through the air.
388
00:20:09,876 --> 00:20:12,810
Men fight with everything they have.
389
00:20:12,812 --> 00:20:16,580
But one after another, they fall, including me.
390
00:20:20,153 --> 00:20:23,288
In as little as an hour after their first attack,
391
00:20:23,290 --> 00:20:28,226
Custer and all 210 men of his men lay dead.
392
00:20:32,232 --> 00:20:33,831
All right. Mount up!
393
00:20:35,368 --> 00:20:37,768
Reno, Benteen and the rest of their men
394
00:20:37,770 --> 00:20:39,437
continue fighting for another day.
395
00:20:41,241 --> 00:20:43,241
When the battle was finally over,
396
00:20:43,243 --> 00:20:45,843
more than 270 officers and troops
397
00:20:45,845 --> 00:20:47,979
were dead or fatally injured.
398
00:20:49,449 --> 00:20:50,849
There were similar numbers of killed
399
00:20:50,851 --> 00:20:53,317
and wounded on the Native American side,
400
00:20:53,319 --> 00:20:55,653
and since this was a village that was attacked,
401
00:20:55,655 --> 00:20:58,656
women and children were among the dead.
402
00:20:58,658 --> 00:21:01,525
Both Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse survived.
403
00:21:05,398 --> 00:21:07,665
The thing is, you can't prepare for battle.
404
00:21:07,667 --> 00:21:09,934
I mean, that's what's going on. You can prepare all you want.
405
00:21:09,936 --> 00:21:11,936
You can train for discipline and so forth,
406
00:21:11,938 --> 00:21:14,005
but when the warriors are coming at you,
407
00:21:14,007 --> 00:21:16,407
when the hatchets are flying, forget about it.
408
00:21:16,409 --> 00:21:18,610
It's every man for himself.
409
00:21:21,681 --> 00:21:24,015
When news of the battle's outcome spread,
410
00:21:24,017 --> 00:21:29,087
people could not believe what they were hearing was true.
411
00:21:29,089 --> 00:21:32,357
How could George Custer, the famous Civil War general,
412
00:21:32,359 --> 00:21:35,560
have been defeated by so-called savages?
413
00:21:37,364 --> 00:21:38,896
The reenactment of the battle
414
00:21:38,898 --> 00:21:40,698
follows the widely accepted version
415
00:21:40,700 --> 00:21:43,033
of what took place that day,
416
00:21:43,035 --> 00:21:45,503
but is this really what happened?
417
00:21:45,505 --> 00:21:48,973
Is this a truthful portrayal of those involved,
418
00:21:48,975 --> 00:21:51,108
especially the man with whom the battle
419
00:21:51,110 --> 00:21:53,244
has become inextricably linked?
420
00:21:59,786 --> 00:22:03,254
Many a history book paints a picture of George Custer
421
00:22:03,256 --> 00:22:06,523
as this fearless, relentless, ambitious fighter
422
00:22:06,525 --> 00:22:08,859
who dies valiantly in battle,
423
00:22:08,861 --> 00:22:11,128
but is that the whole story?
424
00:22:11,130 --> 00:22:13,063
I'm on my way to meet someone who is going to help me
425
00:22:13,065 --> 00:22:15,867
dig a little deeper into who this guy really was.
426
00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:28,546
-Chris? -Hey, Don.
427
00:22:28,548 --> 00:22:29,881
How you doing?
428
00:22:29,883 --> 00:22:31,615
Welcome to Garryowen, the Custer Battlefield Museum.
429
00:22:31,617 --> 00:22:33,885
Thank you very much. This is really neat. Thanks. I...
430
00:22:33,887 --> 00:22:36,019
WILDMAN: Chris Kortlander is the founding director
431
00:22:36,021 --> 00:22:39,824
of the Custer Battlefield Museum in Garryowen, Montana.
432
00:22:39,826 --> 00:22:42,025
He has been involved in preserving and collecting
433
00:22:42,027 --> 00:22:45,763
rare Western Americana for decades.
434
00:22:45,765 --> 00:22:48,900
Today, he's giving me an exclusive look at an object
435
00:22:48,902 --> 00:22:52,169
that speaks to the true character of George Custer.
436
00:22:54,975 --> 00:22:56,707
Look at these.
437
00:22:56,709 --> 00:22:58,242
Oh, my goodness.
438
00:22:58,244 --> 00:23:02,312
These are General George Armstrong Custer's
439
00:23:02,314 --> 00:23:04,581
beaded gauntlets, purportedly stripped off
440
00:23:04,583 --> 00:23:07,518
his dead corpse on Last Stand Hill.
441
00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:09,253
Unbelievable. Can I touch it?
442
00:23:09,255 --> 00:23:10,988
-Would you like to try one on? -Really?
443
00:23:10,990 --> 00:23:13,591
-I'd love to. -Absolutely.
444
00:23:13,593 --> 00:23:15,259
So you're putting on
445
00:23:15,261 --> 00:23:18,262
George Armstrong Custer's gauntlets.
446
00:23:18,264 --> 00:23:21,265
Crazy. What's with the big stars?
447
00:23:21,267 --> 00:23:24,068
So you can see a little bit of ego getting involved here?
448
00:23:24,070 --> 00:23:27,338
Beaded red, white and blue stars for general.
449
00:23:31,678 --> 00:23:34,879
WILDMAN: Although everyone knows Custer as a general,
450
00:23:34,881 --> 00:23:37,882
he actually reverted back to the regular rank of captain
451
00:23:37,884 --> 00:23:40,218
when the Civil War ended.
452
00:23:40,220 --> 00:23:42,754
He was later promoted to lieutenant colonel,
453
00:23:42,756 --> 00:23:45,556
but his time in the Army was turbulent.
454
00:23:45,558 --> 00:23:49,093
He was once even court-martialed and temporarily suspended
455
00:23:49,095 --> 00:23:53,497
for deserting his post to visit his wife.
456
00:23:53,499 --> 00:23:58,302
He wanted everybody to know that he was once a general,
457
00:23:58,304 --> 00:24:00,838
even though he died here as a lieutenant colonel.
458
00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:02,372
-They're very bold. -They are.
459
00:24:02,374 --> 00:24:04,509
This guy was a character,
460
00:24:04,511 --> 00:24:07,045
one of the biggest characters of American history.
461
00:24:07,047 --> 00:24:08,645
Why is that?
462
00:24:08,647 --> 00:24:11,181
Well, you know, in the Civil War he never lost one battle.
463
00:24:11,183 --> 00:24:13,851
Okay. He was able to wear any uniform that he wanted.
464
00:24:13,853 --> 00:24:16,521
He even created his own uniforms. Okay.
465
00:24:16,523 --> 00:24:19,256
And he was the most photographed person of the 19th century,
466
00:24:19,258 --> 00:24:21,425
even more than any United States president.
467
00:24:26,399 --> 00:24:30,268
Custer was an incredibly ambitious man, right?
468
00:24:30,270 --> 00:24:33,871
I mean, how does he go from being such an ace military man
469
00:24:33,873 --> 00:24:36,073
to being caught up in one of the worst disasters
470
00:24:36,075 --> 00:24:38,342
of American military history?
471
00:24:38,344 --> 00:24:40,544
He was a hero in the Civil War.
472
00:24:40,546 --> 00:24:43,414
This was the Indian Wars, totally different ball game.
473
00:24:43,416 --> 00:24:46,217
-Okay. -In fighting indigenous natives
474
00:24:46,219 --> 00:24:49,020
defending their homeland here at the Little Bighorn...
475
00:24:49,022 --> 00:24:50,087
Mm-hmm.
476
00:24:50,089 --> 00:24:51,422
...he didn't know what he was doing...
477
00:24:51,424 --> 00:24:53,891
Okay. ...when he came into this battle.
478
00:24:53,893 --> 00:24:56,294
Give me some adjectives about George Custer.
479
00:24:56,296 --> 00:24:59,496
Vain, arrogant, overachieving,
480
00:24:59,498 --> 00:25:01,833
ambitious, not trusting... Mm-hmm.
481
00:25:01,835 --> 00:25:03,034
...flamboyant.
482
00:25:03,036 --> 00:25:06,370
This is a -- This is a character.
483
00:25:08,908 --> 00:25:13,511
Custer's image was heavily manicured after his death.
484
00:25:13,513 --> 00:25:16,580
Buffalo Bill Cody chose the charismatic Custer
485
00:25:16,582 --> 00:25:18,916
as a starring hero of his world-famous
486
00:25:18,918 --> 00:25:21,385
Wild West Show.
487
00:25:21,387 --> 00:25:23,988
And Custer's widow, Elizabeth Bacon Custer,
488
00:25:23,990 --> 00:25:25,723
spent the rest of her long life
489
00:25:25,725 --> 00:25:30,461
defending her late husband's reputation as a gallant warrior.
490
00:25:30,463 --> 00:25:32,663
Custer came to be thought of as a brave
491
00:25:32,665 --> 00:25:35,933
and courageous icon of the Wild West.
492
00:25:35,935 --> 00:25:38,335
-And there is the man. -There he is.
493
00:25:38,337 --> 00:25:39,937
How amazing.
494
00:25:39,939 --> 00:25:42,139
This is the final moment of the battle.
495
00:25:42,141 --> 00:25:45,476
This is what one artist's rendering is.
496
00:25:45,478 --> 00:25:47,278
It's probably one of the most historically inaccurate
497
00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:48,946
paintings I've ever seen.
498
00:25:48,948 --> 00:25:50,681
First of all, he didn't have a rooster hanging around.
499
00:25:50,683 --> 00:25:52,883
-It's just being there. -Or Custer holding
500
00:25:52,885 --> 00:25:56,219
a pair of Colts with a map case in his pocket and a saber.
501
00:25:56,221 --> 00:25:58,422
He left all the sabers at Fort Abraham Lincoln.
502
00:25:58,424 --> 00:26:00,424
There you go. I mean, this speaks to the --
503
00:26:00,426 --> 00:26:02,760
the many misunderstandings of this legend, doesn't it?
504
00:26:02,762 --> 00:26:05,830
Absolutely, and it just keeps on perpetuating today.
505
00:26:09,769 --> 00:26:14,839
So was Custer a valiant hero or a vainglorious adventurer?
506
00:26:14,841 --> 00:26:16,507
Depends on who you ask.
507
00:26:16,509 --> 00:26:18,910
The real answer may be a bit of both.
508
00:26:18,912 --> 00:26:20,378
One thing's for sure.
509
00:26:20,380 --> 00:26:23,981
He was a larger-than-life figure and an experienced leader,
510
00:26:23,983 --> 00:26:26,584
but why was he out West in the first place?
511
00:26:26,586 --> 00:26:29,453
What was his mission? What was he looking for?
512
00:26:29,455 --> 00:26:32,323
To find out, I'm going underground.
513
00:26:51,544 --> 00:26:54,278
WILDMAN: I've traveled out West to investigate
514
00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:56,013
the Battle of the Little Bighorn,
515
00:26:56,015 --> 00:26:58,616
Custer's famous last stand.
516
00:26:58,618 --> 00:27:02,620
But what brought George Custer to this area to begin with?
517
00:27:04,424 --> 00:27:06,757
-Wow. Hey, Gary. How you doing? -Hey, welcome.
518
00:27:06,759 --> 00:27:08,359
-Thank you. -Nice to see you.
519
00:27:08,361 --> 00:27:10,628
Into your subterranean lair, huh? Yes, sir.
520
00:27:10,630 --> 00:27:13,964
Gary Enright is a local historian and author.
521
00:27:13,966 --> 00:27:17,902
He knows exactly what brought Custer to this region.
522
00:27:17,904 --> 00:27:19,837
So where are we?
523
00:27:19,839 --> 00:27:22,306
Well, we're in an underground mine shaft.
524
00:27:22,308 --> 00:27:24,708
-And what do they mine here? -Gold.
525
00:27:24,710 --> 00:27:27,245
Gold, and lots of it. And lots of it.
526
00:27:29,782 --> 00:27:31,648
WILDMAN: In the mid-1870s,
527
00:27:31,650 --> 00:27:33,717
rumors of abundant gold in the area
528
00:27:33,719 --> 00:27:35,185
were starting to spread,
529
00:27:35,187 --> 00:27:37,455
and with the country under financial strain,
530
00:27:37,457 --> 00:27:41,992
the lure of treasure was too strong to resist.
531
00:27:41,994 --> 00:27:44,996
In 1874, two years before the battle
532
00:27:44,998 --> 00:27:46,863
that would come to define him,
533
00:27:46,865 --> 00:27:49,066
the US government ordered Custer to lead
534
00:27:49,068 --> 00:27:51,736
a thousand-man expedition to this very area
535
00:27:51,738 --> 00:27:54,071
in search of the precious metal.
536
00:27:54,073 --> 00:27:57,408
It was challenging, sparsely populated terrain,
537
00:27:57,410 --> 00:27:59,010
but after just a few days,
538
00:27:59,012 --> 00:28:02,413
gold was discovered in creeks and rivers.
539
00:28:02,415 --> 00:28:04,749
Almost immediately, white prospectors
540
00:28:04,751 --> 00:28:07,818
began to pour into the Black Hills.
541
00:28:07,820 --> 00:28:12,356
Custer was now unknowingly on a path to his own demise.
542
00:28:12,358 --> 00:28:15,859
They found more gold than they had anticipated,
543
00:28:15,861 --> 00:28:18,829
and from there blossomed
544
00:28:18,831 --> 00:28:22,967
a multi-billion dollar industry in the Black Hills
545
00:28:22,969 --> 00:28:25,369
when Homestake Mine was installed.
546
00:28:25,371 --> 00:28:28,572
So you can really draw a direct line between the day
547
00:28:28,574 --> 00:28:31,509
they found gold with Custer in 1874
548
00:28:31,511 --> 00:28:33,176
and the day Custer dies...
549
00:28:33,178 --> 00:28:34,845
Yeah. ...in his last stand?
550
00:28:34,847 --> 00:28:37,648
They're directly related. Absolutely directly related.
551
00:28:37,650 --> 00:28:40,651
There is no question about it, that one follows the other.
552
00:28:40,653 --> 00:28:41,718
Wow.
553
00:28:43,989 --> 00:28:45,322
WILDMAN: But there was a problem.
554
00:28:45,324 --> 00:28:48,192
The Black Hills belonged to the Native Americans.
555
00:28:48,194 --> 00:28:50,660
In 1868,
556
00:28:50,662 --> 00:28:53,263
a treaty was signed guaranteeing ownership
557
00:28:53,265 --> 00:28:55,799
of the Black Hills to the Lakota.
558
00:28:55,801 --> 00:29:00,137
In return, white settlers would populate the surrounding land.
559
00:29:00,139 --> 00:29:02,273
The Black Hills are incredibly sacred
560
00:29:02,275 --> 00:29:04,975
for many Native American tribes.
561
00:29:04,977 --> 00:29:08,545
Custer and his men were desecrating hallowed ground.
562
00:29:08,547 --> 00:29:11,148
There was a treaty in 1868,
563
00:29:11,150 --> 00:29:12,883
Fort Laramie Treaty, right? Yep.
564
00:29:12,885 --> 00:29:14,819
Which dictated that this whole area
565
00:29:14,821 --> 00:29:16,419
belonged to Native American tribes.
566
00:29:16,421 --> 00:29:17,755
That's true.
567
00:29:17,757 --> 00:29:20,624
So when white people start coming in to find gold,
568
00:29:20,626 --> 00:29:22,426
they are officially trespassing.
569
00:29:22,428 --> 00:29:24,295
They were trespassing on Indian land
570
00:29:24,297 --> 00:29:26,230
that was guaranteed to them by treaty.
571
00:29:26,232 --> 00:29:27,898
Wow. That's pretty nasty.
572
00:29:27,900 --> 00:29:31,502
WILDMAN: The discovery of gold changed everything.
573
00:29:31,504 --> 00:29:34,238
The American government reneged on their promise
574
00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:36,173
and broke the Laramie Treaty.
575
00:29:36,175 --> 00:29:37,641
They claimed the Black Hills
576
00:29:37,643 --> 00:29:40,644
and all the gold within were theirs.
577
00:29:40,646 --> 00:29:42,980
Any Native American found on these lands
578
00:29:42,982 --> 00:29:45,383
was to be captured or killed.
579
00:29:50,923 --> 00:29:55,125
George Custer was a complicated and multifaceted man
580
00:29:55,127 --> 00:29:59,130
who unquestionably made his indelible mark upon history,
581
00:29:59,132 --> 00:30:01,598
but Custer wasn't the only legend
582
00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:03,534
at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
583
00:30:03,536 --> 00:30:06,670
What about his great opponent, the equally iconic
584
00:30:06,672 --> 00:30:09,339
Native American Chief Sitting Bull?
585
00:30:09,341 --> 00:30:11,007
Who was Sitting Bull,
586
00:30:11,009 --> 00:30:14,878
and what role did he play in this fabled conflict?
587
00:30:17,350 --> 00:30:20,350
Sitting Bull was one of the most famous and important
588
00:30:20,352 --> 00:30:22,553
Native American chiefs.
589
00:30:22,555 --> 00:30:25,622
He was a respected holy man who was renowned for his bravery
590
00:30:25,624 --> 00:30:27,224
in battle.
591
00:30:27,226 --> 00:30:29,626
By the time of the Battle of the Little Bighorn,
592
00:30:29,628 --> 00:30:32,029
Sitting Bull was 45 years old
593
00:30:32,031 --> 00:30:33,964
and had become more of a spiritual leader
594
00:30:33,966 --> 00:30:35,966
than a mounted fighter.
595
00:30:35,968 --> 00:30:38,035
But although he didn't fight in the battle,
596
00:30:38,037 --> 00:30:40,637
he still played a crucial role.
597
00:30:40,639 --> 00:30:42,239
To find out what this was,
598
00:30:42,241 --> 00:30:46,176
I'm on my way to meet someone perfectly placed to tell me.
599
00:30:56,589 --> 00:30:58,589
-Ernie. -Hey.
600
00:30:58,591 --> 00:31:00,157
Don Wildman. Nice to meet you.
601
00:31:00,159 --> 00:31:02,259
How you doing, man? It's good to meet you. It is an honor.
602
00:31:02,261 --> 00:31:04,862
So you are related to Sitting Bull?
603
00:31:04,864 --> 00:31:07,597
My great-grandfather, right. Your great-grandfather, that's amazing.
604
00:31:07,599 --> 00:31:09,399
And I'm just trying to tell his story.
605
00:31:11,671 --> 00:31:14,605
So Sitting Bull is known, in history...
606
00:31:14,607 --> 00:31:15,872
Right.
607
00:31:15,874 --> 00:31:18,208
...as a great leader of the Lakota tribe.
608
00:31:18,210 --> 00:31:20,344
What Sitting Bull was, was when you're chosen to be
609
00:31:20,346 --> 00:31:22,145
an itancan, we call that,
610
00:31:22,147 --> 00:31:25,683
and it translates to a chief, what that means is
611
00:31:25,685 --> 00:31:28,686
an itancan is a man who's a caretaker of the people.
612
00:31:28,688 --> 00:31:30,221
Okay.
613
00:31:30,223 --> 00:31:32,155
He takes the whole village and puts it on his shoulders.
614
00:31:32,157 --> 00:31:33,757
-Mm-hmm. -And he feeds them.
615
00:31:33,759 --> 00:31:35,025
He cares for them.
616
00:31:35,027 --> 00:31:36,627
He protects them. He does everything.
617
00:31:36,629 --> 00:31:40,163
So Sitting Bull was an extraordinary human being.
618
00:31:40,165 --> 00:31:43,367
Yeah, well, you know, in the eyes of the people
619
00:31:43,369 --> 00:31:46,370
that followed him or the others, he was.
620
00:31:51,711 --> 00:31:54,111
WILDMAN: As many of his fellow Plains Native Americans
621
00:31:54,113 --> 00:31:56,313
moved to reservations in order to abide
622
00:31:56,315 --> 00:32:00,250
by the Fort Laramie Treaty, Sitting Bull refused.
623
00:32:00,252 --> 00:32:01,451
He became a symbol
624
00:32:01,453 --> 00:32:04,321
of the resistance against the white man.
625
00:32:04,323 --> 00:32:06,790
His leadership had attracted scores of people
626
00:32:06,792 --> 00:32:08,459
who had fled the reservations,
627
00:32:08,461 --> 00:32:12,796
creating an extensive village from a variety of tribes.
628
00:32:12,798 --> 00:32:15,866
This is the village that Custer would face.
629
00:32:20,606 --> 00:32:22,873
WILDMAN: Just weeks before the fateful battle,
630
00:32:22,875 --> 00:32:24,208
Sitting Bull took part
631
00:32:24,210 --> 00:32:27,143
in a ceremony of particular importance,
632
00:32:27,145 --> 00:32:31,214
a Sun Dance, where he received a momentous vision.
633
00:32:31,216 --> 00:32:33,083
Tell me about the Sun Dance,
634
00:32:33,085 --> 00:32:35,485
the significance of it and how it happens.
635
00:32:35,487 --> 00:32:41,025
The Sun Dance signifies the person who commits
636
00:32:41,027 --> 00:32:43,426
to give his blood, sweat and tears
637
00:32:43,428 --> 00:32:45,562
for the survival of the people.
638
00:32:45,564 --> 00:32:47,898
They took 50 pieces of flesh from each arm.
639
00:32:47,900 --> 00:32:50,834
That's 50 small pieces of flesh? Yeah. He cut them out.
640
00:32:50,836 --> 00:32:53,436
As a result of the Sun Dance, Sitting Bull has a vision.
641
00:32:53,438 --> 00:32:55,038
What was that?
642
00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:58,842
He had a vision of the soldiers falling into camp upside down.
643
00:32:58,844 --> 00:33:00,978
He said, "They look like grasshoppers."
644
00:33:07,186 --> 00:33:10,254
WILDMAN: Sitting Bull's vision predicted a huge battle
645
00:33:10,256 --> 00:33:12,723
and a great victory for his people.
646
00:33:12,725 --> 00:33:15,993
They were elated, and that same day, a new carving
647
00:33:15,995 --> 00:33:20,064
is said to have appeared here at Deer Medicine Rocks.
648
00:33:20,066 --> 00:33:23,467
It reflected exactly what Sitting Bull foresaw --
649
00:33:23,469 --> 00:33:26,136
the death of American soldiers.
650
00:33:26,138 --> 00:33:29,873
However, Sitting Bull's vision came with a warning.
651
00:33:29,875 --> 00:33:33,544
If his people were to take any of the normal spoils of war --
652
00:33:33,546 --> 00:33:36,413
the clothing or personal effects of the fallen --
653
00:33:36,415 --> 00:33:38,548
they would be punished.
654
00:33:38,550 --> 00:33:42,953
The battle would be a great test of Sitting Bull's people.
655
00:33:42,955 --> 00:33:46,156
Was this really a great victory for the Native Americans?
656
00:33:46,158 --> 00:33:49,426
How much of Sitting Bull's vision came true?
657
00:33:49,428 --> 00:33:56,967
And what exactly happened at the Battle of Little Bighorn?
658
00:34:09,448 --> 00:34:11,781
The Battle of the Little Bighorn is remembered
659
00:34:11,783 --> 00:34:14,585
as a shocking defeat for the US military,
660
00:34:14,587 --> 00:34:19,056
a valiant final struggle between Custer and his few remaining men
661
00:34:19,058 --> 00:34:22,726
and an army of fierce Native American warriors,
662
00:34:22,728 --> 00:34:25,261
but is this really what happened?
663
00:34:25,263 --> 00:34:27,331
What went wrong that day,
664
00:34:27,333 --> 00:34:31,068
and could it all have been very different?
665
00:34:37,076 --> 00:34:38,742
Steve, nice to meet you.
666
00:34:38,744 --> 00:34:40,210
Great to meet you. Steve Adelson.
667
00:34:40,212 --> 00:34:41,545
Thank you, sir.
668
00:34:41,547 --> 00:34:44,148
WILDMAN: Steve Adelson is an author and historian
669
00:34:44,150 --> 00:34:47,951
who has spent years studying this battle.
670
00:34:47,953 --> 00:34:51,622
Why do you think this battle still fascinates so many,
671
00:34:51,624 --> 00:34:53,490
you know, still to this day?
672
00:34:53,492 --> 00:34:57,428
Well, I think there's a story here that still haunts
673
00:34:57,430 --> 00:34:59,963
the American consciousness, even today.
674
00:34:59,965 --> 00:35:04,101
People come here from all over the world, and they stand here,
675
00:35:04,103 --> 00:35:07,237
and they look out, all these markers,
676
00:35:07,239 --> 00:35:09,172
you know, monuments,
677
00:35:09,174 --> 00:35:12,309
and they try to imagine what it must have been like...
678
00:35:12,311 --> 00:35:13,610
-Exactly. -...in the end.
679
00:35:16,515 --> 00:35:18,849
So what went wrong in this battle?
680
00:35:18,851 --> 00:35:21,852
Let's look at what Custer was trying to do.
681
00:35:21,854 --> 00:35:24,321
First of all, he's afraid the village is going to run.
682
00:35:24,323 --> 00:35:26,190
Mm-hmm. These warriors aren't going to fight.
683
00:35:26,192 --> 00:35:27,591
This village is going to flee. Yep.
684
00:35:27,593 --> 00:35:29,926
That's his biggest concern, is it's going to get away.
685
00:35:29,928 --> 00:35:31,528
Sure.
686
00:35:31,530 --> 00:35:34,398
By dividing his command, in his mind,
687
00:35:34,400 --> 00:35:37,734
he thinks he's going to keep them from escaping.
688
00:35:37,736 --> 00:35:39,670
There's also an element of --
689
00:35:39,672 --> 00:35:41,405
you could call it arrogance.
690
00:35:41,407 --> 00:35:45,943
Because these people are perceived
691
00:35:45,945 --> 00:35:47,744
as ignorant savages. Mm-hmm.
692
00:35:47,746 --> 00:35:51,414
How can they possibly stand up to the vaunted 7th Calvary...
693
00:35:51,416 --> 00:35:53,150
Sure. ...and George Armstrong Custer?
694
00:35:53,152 --> 00:35:56,220
Yeah. Custer said, "We can whip anything we come across."
695
00:35:57,489 --> 00:35:59,289
WILDMAN: Custer's Native American scouts
696
00:35:59,291 --> 00:36:01,625
tried to warn him that there were hundreds,
697
00:36:01,627 --> 00:36:04,695
maybe thousands of warriors in the village below,
698
00:36:04,697 --> 00:36:06,630
but Custer didn't listen.
699
00:36:06,632 --> 00:36:10,434
The draw of heroically capturing so many Native Americans
700
00:36:10,436 --> 00:36:13,369
must have been stronger than fears of a resistance.
701
00:36:13,371 --> 00:36:15,705
He had scouts that were telling him about this, right?
702
00:36:15,707 --> 00:36:18,709
He has scouts. When they see the village,
703
00:36:18,711 --> 00:36:21,445
they have mixed opinions as to what to do.
704
00:36:21,447 --> 00:36:23,247
Some of them say, "Attack." Yeah.
705
00:36:23,249 --> 00:36:25,249
"Attack. The village will run."
706
00:36:25,251 --> 00:36:27,584
But others warn him, "Don't go down there."
707
00:36:27,586 --> 00:36:29,653
Uh-huh. "Don't go down there, too many Ota,
708
00:36:29,655 --> 00:36:31,788
too many Ota Sioux, soldier Sioux."
709
00:36:31,790 --> 00:36:33,389
-Okay. -"Don't go down there."
710
00:36:33,391 --> 00:36:36,526
-And he does. -And he does.
711
00:36:38,463 --> 00:36:40,463
Steve, tell me about the fighting capabilities
712
00:36:40,465 --> 00:36:41,798
of these Indian warriors.
713
00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:43,066
They were outstanding.
714
00:36:43,068 --> 00:36:46,536
In fact, warrior training began very early on
715
00:36:46,538 --> 00:36:48,204
in a young boy's life.
716
00:36:48,206 --> 00:36:50,874
They were extraordinary horsemen. Mm.
717
00:36:50,876 --> 00:36:52,943
They were excellent with their weapons.
718
00:36:52,945 --> 00:36:55,945
In fact, they were the best light calvary in the world.
719
00:36:55,947 --> 00:36:57,548
I've never heard that. That's interesting.
720
00:36:57,550 --> 00:36:59,016
And then you couple it with the fact
721
00:36:59,018 --> 00:37:00,617
that this is their terrain.
722
00:37:00,619 --> 00:37:03,086
This is all the world that they know so well.
723
00:37:03,088 --> 00:37:04,421
Absolutely, absolutely.
724
00:37:04,423 --> 00:37:07,891
And we can compare this to the Vietnam War and Afghanistan.
725
00:37:07,893 --> 00:37:09,158
Sure.
726
00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:11,295
You're fighting a people who know the territory
727
00:37:11,297 --> 00:37:13,230
like the back of their hand.
728
00:37:17,036 --> 00:37:18,902
WILDMAN: There are many rumors and theories
729
00:37:18,904 --> 00:37:21,638
surrounding Custer's death.
730
00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:24,807
Some suggest that the battle was over so quickly,
731
00:37:24,809 --> 00:37:28,511
Custer must have been immediately overwhelmed.
732
00:37:28,513 --> 00:37:30,981
There was simply no time for a coordinated,
733
00:37:30,983 --> 00:37:33,650
romanticized last stand.
734
00:37:35,521 --> 00:37:38,989
So as close as you know, how did Custer die?
735
00:37:38,991 --> 00:37:40,390
What were those circumstances?
736
00:37:40,392 --> 00:37:42,059
Well, he had two wounds.
737
00:37:42,061 --> 00:37:45,595
The head wound would have been instantaneously fatal,
738
00:37:45,597 --> 00:37:47,330
and he had a -- A gunshot?
739
00:37:47,332 --> 00:37:51,067
Yes, a gunshot, and he had a gunshot wound to the chest,
740
00:37:51,069 --> 00:37:56,206
which by and large would eventually be fatal.
741
00:37:56,208 --> 00:38:00,077
This was pandemonium, I mean, and panic among those troops.
742
00:38:00,079 --> 00:38:03,614
Yes. Eventually the whole entire structure collapsed,
743
00:38:03,616 --> 00:38:05,882
and there was chaos. Yeah.
744
00:38:05,884 --> 00:38:08,218
So there was officially a last stand?
745
00:38:08,220 --> 00:38:09,619
There was a last stand.
746
00:38:09,621 --> 00:38:12,155
Now, where the last of the fighting took place
747
00:38:12,157 --> 00:38:13,957
is debatable,
748
00:38:13,959 --> 00:38:16,026
but there definitely was a last stand.
749
00:38:19,631 --> 00:38:21,431
WILDMAN: Sitting Bull warned his people
750
00:38:21,433 --> 00:38:24,034
not to touch the bodies of the dead soldiers,
751
00:38:24,036 --> 00:38:25,502
as his premonition of the battle
752
00:38:25,504 --> 00:38:29,039
warned that great punishment would await them if they did.
753
00:38:29,041 --> 00:38:31,574
They did not heed his warning.
754
00:38:31,576 --> 00:38:35,778
Guns, money, horses and clothing were taken from the fallen,
755
00:38:35,780 --> 00:38:39,716
and a large number of their bodies were mutilated.
756
00:38:39,718 --> 00:38:41,184
Archaeological evidence,
757
00:38:41,186 --> 00:38:43,519
oral histories from the Native American victors,
758
00:38:43,521 --> 00:38:46,689
and written accounts from the 7th Calvary who survived
759
00:38:46,691 --> 00:38:50,527
provide a detailed vision of what happened that day.
760
00:38:50,529 --> 00:38:53,597
But there are some things we will never know.
761
00:38:53,599 --> 00:38:56,133
What about the legacy of this battle?
762
00:38:56,135 --> 00:38:57,601
What happened in the aftermath,
763
00:38:57,603 --> 00:39:00,003
and what were the long-term implications,
764
00:39:00,005 --> 00:39:04,340
and why does a battle that took place over 140 years ago
765
00:39:04,342 --> 00:39:06,743
still have relevance today?
766
00:39:18,356 --> 00:39:20,957
WILDMAN: By training with the US Calvary,
767
00:39:20,959 --> 00:39:22,559
riding into battle,
768
00:39:22,561 --> 00:39:26,296
and meeting with a living descendant of Sitting Bull,
769
00:39:26,298 --> 00:39:27,831
I have discovered so much
770
00:39:27,833 --> 00:39:30,500
about the Battle of the Little Bighorn,
771
00:39:30,502 --> 00:39:32,635
but what happened afterwards?
772
00:39:32,637 --> 00:39:36,439
What effect did this battle have on the country and on history?
773
00:39:38,777 --> 00:39:40,443
The answer may lie here
774
00:39:40,445 --> 00:39:42,512
in the Black Hills of South Dakota,
775
00:39:42,514 --> 00:39:45,581
the gold-laden lands that led to war.
776
00:39:45,583 --> 00:39:47,050
The Battle of the Little Bighorn
777
00:39:47,052 --> 00:39:49,853
is remembered as Custer's Last Stand,
778
00:39:49,855 --> 00:39:53,457
but it was also the beginning of the last stand of the Lakota
779
00:39:53,459 --> 00:39:55,792
and the end of the Indian Wars.
780
00:39:55,794 --> 00:39:57,594
Although the Battle of the Little Bighorn
781
00:39:57,596 --> 00:40:00,864
was a decisive victory for the Native American tribes,
782
00:40:00,866 --> 00:40:02,866
their triumph was fleeting.
783
00:40:06,472 --> 00:40:09,806
With the loss of the famous Custer, General Phil Sheridan
784
00:40:09,808 --> 00:40:11,875
now had all the leverage he could wish for
785
00:40:11,877 --> 00:40:13,810
to put more troops in the field
786
00:40:13,812 --> 00:40:16,880
and end the Indian Wars for good.
787
00:40:16,882 --> 00:40:18,948
New recruits signed up in droves,
788
00:40:18,950 --> 00:40:22,819
calling themselves Custer's Avengers.
789
00:40:22,821 --> 00:40:24,955
Native American hunting grounds were invaded
790
00:40:24,957 --> 00:40:28,492
by Army forces determined to wipe out the buffalo herds
791
00:40:28,494 --> 00:40:32,362
and confine the Native peoples to reservations.
792
00:40:32,364 --> 00:40:33,830
Without buffalo to hunt,
793
00:40:33,832 --> 00:40:36,833
their traditional way of life would be impossible.
794
00:40:39,705 --> 00:40:42,839
Crazy Horse, who helped lead the victory against Custer,
795
00:40:42,841 --> 00:40:46,109
surrendered within one year of the fight.
796
00:40:46,111 --> 00:40:47,978
Sitting Bull fled to Canada,
797
00:40:47,980 --> 00:40:50,781
but surrendered to US authorities 4 years later
798
00:40:50,783 --> 00:40:54,251
in order to save his people from starvation.
799
00:40:54,253 --> 00:40:56,586
By 1890, all Native Americans
800
00:40:56,588 --> 00:40:58,655
were either living on reservations,
801
00:40:58,657 --> 00:41:01,191
had fled the country, or were dead.
802
00:41:08,066 --> 00:41:10,600
The sacred Black Hills were taken by the US
803
00:41:10,602 --> 00:41:12,135
without compensation,
804
00:41:12,137 --> 00:41:16,139
and gold was mined for over 100 years.
805
00:41:16,141 --> 00:41:18,075
Sioux Nation tribes continue today
806
00:41:18,077 --> 00:41:22,546
to fight the US government in court for these lands.
807
00:41:22,548 --> 00:41:26,349
The Battle of the Little Bighorn was a brutal and bloody affair
808
00:41:26,351 --> 00:41:30,453
in which hundreds of men, women and children lost their lives.
809
00:41:30,455 --> 00:41:33,289
And over 140 years later,
810
00:41:33,291 --> 00:41:36,093
people are still captivated by this catastrophe.
811
00:41:36,095 --> 00:41:39,162
And the man who led the Last Stand
812
00:41:39,164 --> 00:41:41,564
is firmly planted in history.
813
00:41:41,566 --> 00:41:44,101
Although he paid the ultimate price,
814
00:41:44,103 --> 00:41:47,571
perhaps the bound and determined George Armstrong Custer
815
00:41:47,573 --> 00:41:50,239
got, in the end, what he really wanted --
816
00:41:50,241 --> 00:41:52,042
a lasting legacy.
817
00:41:56,915 --> 00:41:58,581
There's a phrase about the Little Bighorn
818
00:41:58,583 --> 00:42:00,650
that's particularly poignant.
819
00:42:00,652 --> 00:42:03,920
Two great cultures met on a barren plain.
820
00:42:03,922 --> 00:42:05,588
One lost the battle.
821
00:42:05,590 --> 00:42:07,924
The other lost everything.
822
00:42:07,926 --> 00:42:09,860
Let's go.
822
00:42:10,305 --> 00:43:10,173
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