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Today, June 25, marks the 131st anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and Custeriana is still going strong. At a recent auction, George Armstrong Custer’s frayed battle flag sold for more than $896,000.
The flag was left at Custer’s headquarters at Fort Abraham Lincoln in Dakota Territory, in 1876, when Custer and his men were wiped out at Little Big Horn by Lakota and Northern Cheyenne warriors.
Custer books are also in hot demand, including first edition copies of the three books his wife, Elizabeth Bacon Custer, wrote following his death: “Boots and Saddles” Or, Life in Dakota With General Custer, Tenting on the Plains or General Custer in Kansas and Texas, and Following the Guidon .
In the early morning hours of June 25, 1876, Custer’s Indian scouts told him of a huge village encamped on the banks of the Little Big Horn (Greasy Grass). Custer dismissed their claims, divided his forces, and attacked the village. Historians believe his hasty ride into battle was prompted by his fear that the village would scatter and the Indians would get away.
The rest, of course, is history. The men under Custer’s own command were wiped out, and those under Benteen and Reno managed to hold out until help arrived.
Want to learn more about the Boy General? My favorite books include:
Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors
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