Thoughts and Artifacts Relating to the Battle of the Little Bighorn	by Ted Koelikamp,
Central States Archaeological Societies 2019 January Journal	Crown Point, Indiana

This is an excerpt from "Thoughts and Artifacts Relating to the Battle of the Little Bighorn". Read the complete column in the Central States Archaeological Societies 2019 January Journal which can be purchased on-line after March 2020

In the last 150 years, much has been written about the Battle of the Little Bighorn, otherwise known as “Custer’s last Stand.” There have been many conflicting reports, both by participants and historians on what really happened and why the U.S. military lost. The end result is known, with 268 U.S. Cavalryman killed, 59 wounded and 25 missing. On the American Indian side, it is estimated that 150 warriors were lost, but that figure is only conjecture.

Custer’s defeat was not the worst loss of the U.S. military against the American Indians, but it is the most remembered. Most notably, in 1791, under General St. Clair, more than 1000 soldiers were killed along with 200 additional camp followers in a campaign against a coalition of American Indian led by Little Turtle. This engagement, known as the Battle of the Wabash, is considered the worst defeat for the U.S. Army in the history of the North American Indian wars.

It has been estimated that there were about 3000 warriors in the Little Bighorn battle compared to nearly 600 soldiers. The real disparity, however, was not so much in numbers as in the wide distribution of troopers and in fire power. It is thought that nearly half of the American Indian combatants had guns and about half of those, nearly 750, had repeating arms such as Sharps, Spencers, Henrys and Winchesters. The soldiers, on the other hand, had the single shot breech loading 45/55 carbine (Model 1873), which had a limited range. It was later reported that the soldiers had trouble ejecting the carbine cartridges due to verdigris (green corrosion) build up in the leather loops of their cartridge belts and the resulting deposits on the brass cartridges. They had to use pocket knives to pry out the cartridges from the heated barrels. They also carried Model 1872 Colt single action Army issued six shot pistols, but these were only good at close range. This was proven true as archaeological investigations in the 1980s showed they were only used during the closing moments of the battle as evidenced by these being found mostly on and around Custer Hill.

The American Indians, based on field research (metal detecting) during the 1984-85 seasons, remained in groups off at a distance and behind hills, pouring fire down onto Custer’s group of 13 officers and 208 men until they were quite decimated. Only after most of Custer’s men were either dead or wounded did the American Indians charge and overwhelm them. Luckily, Major Reno and Captain Benteen with 16 officers with 274 men between them, eventually dug into a hill about 4 ½ miles to the east of Custer. One attempt to reach Custer by a detachment of troopers under the command of Captains Weir and Benteen was driven back to their bluff position. Custer’s position had already been overrun around that same time. Reno and Benteen were able to hold off the warriors from this bluff position until reinforcements arrived under the command of General Terry from the west. Terry and his men were the first to find the scattered nude and mutilated bodies of Custer’s command. Only the trumpeter, John Martini, survived because he was sent back to the pack train to tell them to hurry with ammunition.

Read the complete column in the Central States Archaeological Societies 2019 January Journal which can be purchased on-line after March 2020

The representative arrows shown in Figure 2, have metal points which are typical of those used in the battle. These cut metal points were either made by the American Indians or obtained from traders. The points were tied to the shaft with sinew and each arrow had identifying marks and the colors of the owner.

Read the complete column in the Central States Archaeological Societies 2019 January Journal which can be purchased on-line after March 2020