Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

* Battle of Little Bighorn Anniversary.

20210625_062757.jpg
 
You really have to know Custer's civil war actions and reputation to appreciate the rock star like standing he had with much of the American public at the time of his death. "Custer's Luck " was a phrase that indicated taking daring risks and winning. His actions at Gettysburg are an example. He was a "charge first and ask questions later" kind of guy.
North and South after the war, men were referred to by the highest rank they had achieved during their service as a sign of respect, even when they were no longer in the military. Since Custer was a General at the end of the war, he unofficially continued to be referred to with that title, like General Lee.
 
* Battle of Little Bighorn Anniversary.

View attachment 405845
In the mid 80's we were transferred to New Orleans, and the office and our apartment were located in Algiers Point, directly across the river from the French Quarters. I was walking home from the office to our apartment when I noticed a grave stone exactly like the one in your picture, standing beside the front door of door of a house a couple of doors down from our apartment. Two things caught my eye; the date on the gravestone, June 25, 1876. The day I was walking home and noticed the stone was June 25, 1980ish, so it was 110 years more or less from the day of the battle that I saw the stone on the guy's front porch. The second thing was that the gravestone looked real, and exactly like a stone from the battlefield and was displaying it on his front porch. HE MUST HAVE STOLEN IT! I was pretty upset with what he might have done but wasn't sure of what I could do about it.
A couple of days later I was again walking past his house and the gravestone was gone but the owner was outside in the yard so I went up to him, introduced myself and began speaking with him. I told him I noticed that he had had a gravestone on his porch a couple of days ago. It turned out he was a big Little Bighorn/Custer collector. He took me into his house and showed me his huge collection of books and Bighorn/Custer items, which included a big diorama of the battle he had in his attic. He was a really nice guy who was able to indulge his fascination with all things Custer and the Little Bighorn Battle to a level I had never seen before.
It turned out he purchased the gravestone legally from a Bighorn Battle preservation group, so that put my mind to rest.
 
Boston Custer was the youngest brother of U.S. Army Lt Colonel George Armstrong Custer and two-time Medal of Honor recipient Captain Thomas Custer. He was killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn along with his two brothers.

View attachment 405934

View attachment 405937

View attachment 405938
https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Fea...edal-of-honor-monday-army-capt-thomas-custer/
On April 3, 1865, Custer was leading a charge over an enemy barricade near Namozine Church in Virginia when he grabbed the Confederate flag out of the hands of its bearer. He also secured the capture of 14 prisoners.

Three days later, Custer was at the Battle of Sailor's Creek in Virginia when he captured two more flags — one of which he stole while charging the color bearer on his horse. The animal was shot out from under him, and Custer was wounded in the face, but he managed to shoot and kill the enemy soldier to take the flag.

Custer received a Medal of Honor for each of those actions.


Lots of flags, reputations, promotions, medals, and glory to be had during those last few days. Prime time for the Custers

IMHO, I don't think these add to the high standards for the medal of honor.
 
Will be visiting here for the first time in just a couple of weeks. Looking forward to it, though I heard I need to watch the interpretation video before going because they currently aren't showing it at the visitors center.

Make sure to visit this NPS site when the gate opens. Go straight to "Last Stand Hill" before the tour buses arrive. You can get plenty of photos of this area without people cluttering your shots. After you visit "Last Stand Hill" and the "Indian Memorial," drive the tour stops. And please, please visit the Reno-Benteen Battlefield! The majority of visitors skip this part of the battlefield. After you complete the tour stops, then stop by the visitor center and cemetery. Before you leave the VC and cemetery, ask a ranger to give you directions to the Native American Campsite along the Little Bighorn River. You will be able to see the battlefield from their perspective (great photo shots from this spot of the river and bluffs). Have fun and watch the video before your trip.

Bill
 
Boston Custer was the youngest brother of U.S. Army Lt Colonel George Armstrong Custer and two-time Medal of Honor recipient Captain Thomas Custer. He was killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn along with his two brothers.

View attachment 405934

View attachment 405937

View attachment 405938
In addition to the two brothers of George, the Custer family also lost a nephew and a brother-in-law. The Battle of the Little Big Horn was pretty tough on the Custer family.

Henry Armstrong "Autie" Reed was the son of the Custer brothers half sister, Lydia Ann Kirkpatrick Reed. "Autie" was hired to help with the pack herd. When word finally reached the pack herd of the impending battle, Autie rode forward to fight alongside his uncles. He died on Last stand Hill.

Lt. James Calhoun married the sister of the Custer brothers, Margarete Custer. During the battle, Lt. Calhoun was in temporary command of "L" troop, and was killed on the hill that bears his name.
 
Last edited:
In addition to the two brothers of George, the Custer family also lost a nephew and a brother-in-law. The Battle of the Little Big Horn was pretty tough on the Custer family.

Henry Armstrong "Autie" Reed was the son of the Custer brothers half sister, Lydia Ann Kirkpatrick Reed. "Autie" was hired to help with the pack herd. When word finally reached the pack herd of the impending battle, Autie rode forward to fight alongside his uncles. He died on Last stand Hill.

Lt. James Calhoun married the sister of the Custer brothers, Margarete Custer. During the battle, Lt. Calhoun was in temporary command of "L" troop, and was killed on the hill that bears his name.

Thanks for the addition, Dan!

IMG_1160 (2).JPG
 
Back
Top