As a kid I was always fascinated with history. I read about it I watched documentaries but
now I want to visit and walk the ground of those historic places that I've spent years
studying, join me on my trek History Adventures. In this episode of History Adventures we're
at the Little Bighorn Battlefield and we'll be following the battle starting with Custer
arriving at what is known as Ford D and then moving forward as the battle progresses. Various sources
reference the time of day during the battle and they are different based on the source that
is referenced, I'm going to use just one source rather than going back and forth since most are
within two hours of each other. When it comes to referencing the duration of an event during the
battle there is some consistency so we have a better understanding of what took place. Now with
Custer his movements are a matter of conjecture but there is some testimony and archaeological
evidence that supports his movements. I have a hypothesis based on those sources and I will
present it in this video. With that let's take a look at this episode. It is roughly 4:45 pm on June
25th 1876. Custer has split his command about 20 minutes earlier, part of his command is currently
fighting off harassing attacks on Calhoun Hill, Custer and the remainder of his command have been
engaged with Indian Warriors in an area that is known as Ford D. Reno and Benteen have been setting up
a defensive position just over three miles away from where Custer and his men are located, most of
the Warriors that were attacking Reno and Benteen have spotted the new threat closer to the village
and their families and are heading towards Calhoun Hill, the Pack Train is moving closer to Reno and
Benteen's defensive position. Custer and his men are in the area of Ford D and have been engaged
with a group of Warriors for approximately 20 minutes, other Warriors that move into the area
have stampeded the horses of the dismounted Troopers. The Troopers maintain their tactics even
though some of them are now without their horses. They begin an orderly withdrawal from the area of
Ford D, the Warriors follow but keep their distance. The soldiers move on the ridge at the present-day
National Cemetery and Visitor Center. Their view looking towards deep ravine and the flats is very
open and with their long-range weapons they're able to keep the Warriors from charging over the
open ground. From on top of Last Stand Hill the landscape seems relatively mild rolling hills but
in actuality these areas of landscape are fairly dramatic. With Custer and his troops setting up a
position in the area of the cemetery they moved the remaining horses to a low spot very near them.
Any Warriors crossing the Little Bighorn River and moving in Deep Ravine or over the open ground
are quickly seen and draw the fire of the soldiers. They are keeping the Warriors at a distance with
their long-range rifles and their clear view from this position. On Calhoun Hill the situation is
turning against the soldiers the Warriors that were attacking Reno and Benteen now arrive in this
area. The Warriors use the ravines and coulees to get closer and closer to the soldiers. The Warriors
began to gather on Greasy Grass Ridge the ridge known as Henryville and others are riding through
the coulees and ravines to get behind the troops. Warriors move forward from Greasy Grass Ridge
to the next ridge getting closer to the soldiers. On Calhoun Hill the Warriors are seen getting
closer, a group of soldiers mount their horses and charge the Indian Warriors gathering
on what is known as the Finkel Finley Ridge. This charge initially drives the Warriors back
but the Warriors soon stop and gather for a counter-attack. Crazy Horse was seen in this area,
he was firing his weapon at the soldiers holding the horses for the dismounted Troopers. As more and
more horse-holding soldiers are killed the horses begin to stampede from the area. The troopers on
the Finkel Finley Ridge are greatly outnumbered when the Warriors start their attack the battle
on the Finkel Finley Ridge is over in just a few minutes. This fight turns into complete chaos as
many of the soldiers are killed and the others flee and route back towards Calhoun Hill. On
Calhoun Hill the soldiers have been maintaining their defensive positions but now they must adjust
their lines to the new threat of Indians attacking from the Finkel Finley Ridge, now with a reduced
number of soldiers and adjusting their lines it starts to hamper their defensive firepower. The
Warriors again start to attack the soldiers holding the horses for the dismounted Troopers in
an area known as Horse Holders Ravine, the warriors stampede the horses leaving many of the Troopers
without their extra ammunition and equipment. The Indian Warriors charged the soldiers on Calhoun
Hill the soldiers are quickly overwhelmed and the command begins to break down. Crazy Horse leads a
charge over Battle Ridge that splits the troops and starts the soldiers fleeing towards Last
Stand Hill. The Indian Warriors now surround the fleeing troops, most of the troops are killed
as they flee along the backside of Battle Ridge. Keogh's command is basically wiped out as they
flee towards Last Stand Hill and Custer's men. Custer and his men still maintain their position
in the present-day National Cemetery and near The Visitor Center, they must hear the gunfire and
see the Warriors charging towards Calhoun Hill. Soon they see Indian Warriors on top of Last Stand
Hill and what is known as Battle Ridge. Some of the soldiers fleeing might have also run over Battle
Ridge in their attempt to get to Custer and his men since you will see a few markers on this side
of the ridge. Custer and a group of soldiers move up Last Stand Hill and drive the Warriors back
taking control of The High Ground. A small group of survivors that have made it all the way from
Calhoun Hill have now joined Custer and his men on Last Stand Hill. The Indian Warriors are using the
weapons they have captured from the dead soldiers on Calhoun Hill and now move towards Custer's
positions. There are soldiers on Last Stand Hill, near the present-day Visitors center and many of
the horses are still being held just below this area. Custer and his men are being surrounded
they've had to change their defensive position which had concentrated their firepower towards the
Little Bighorn River and the Deep Ravine. They now have to cover all directions reducing
their concentration of direct fire, with the reduced concentration of fire from the soldiers
the Warriors begin to move up Deep Ravine. They threaten the horses and the soldiers holding them
in the low area just below Last Stand Hill. Warrior testimony is that there was a bugle call and
troops moved from the higher ground on Last Stand Hill to form a skirmish line on what is known as
the South Skirmish Line. The Warriors continue to focus on the soldiers holding the horses and
stampede as many horses from this area. On Last Stand Hill they begin to shoot their horses to
build their own protective breastworks. Reno and Benteen have set up a defensive position that is
over three and a half miles from Custer and his men. They can hear the fighting and Weir without
permission heads out with some of his troops to support Custer and his men. When they arrive at
what is known as Weir Point they stop to evaluate their next course of action. They see Custer's
guidons in the distance but using field glasses they see a mass group of warriors. Near Last
Stand Hill Corporal John Foley mounts his horse and races towards the direction Benteen would be
arriving from, miraculously Foley breaks through the Warriors and makes it to Calhoun Hill. From
there he heads down Deep Coulee pursued by many warriors, Crazy Horse was one of the many warriors
that was pursuing Foley. The soldiers now at Weir Point see Foley racing towards them. This is where
the mystery of what happens to Foley begins, he was actually getting away from the pursuing Warriors
and appeared that he would make it to Weir and his men but suddenly Foley is shot. Some Warriors
claim that he shot himself so that he would not be captured, others claim that they shot him and the
final thought is that he was using his pistol in his hand waving it to spur on his horse when he
accidentally shot himself. We will never really know what happened to Foley but he died near
Medicine Tail Coulee the Indian Warriors surround Custer and his men moving closer and closer.
The story of the Suicide Boys is told by The Warriors, this group of Young Warriors charged the
soldiers near the the present-day visitors center and Stampede their horses, the fighting now becomes
close range and hand to hand. Warriors charge from multiple directions overwhelming the troops around
Last Stand Hill stampeding the last of the horses in the area.Tthe soldiers on Last Stand Hill are
quickly being cut down, the very few survivors on Last Stand hill run towards the men on the South
Skirmish line with the Warriors in Pursuit. One of the last soldiers still with his horse near the
South Skirmish line races towards the area Benteen would arrive, he is followed by many warriors
and only makes it to the Finkel Findlay Ridge before he is shot and killed by The Warriors.
The last of the horses near the South Skirmish Line are stampeded and the soldiers are quickly
overwhelmed, the last surviving soldiers scattered to save themselves. Most heading down towards Deep
Ravine moving towards the Little Bighorn River. The last of Custer's men are surrounded and killed. It
has been roughly two hours since Reno had started the attack on the village and now all of Custer's
command has been killed. Many of the non-combatants have now crossed the Little Bighorn River and head
towards Last Stand Hill, the soldiers bodies are being stripped of their clothing, equipment and
then mutilated. From Weir Point the soldiers can see the Indian Warriors and non-combatants
swarming the hills and they appear to be firing into the ground. What they were witnessing were
the wounded soldiers that were with Custer's command being killed and mutilated. Indian Warriors
were taking the soldiers weapons and ammunition. Some of the men on Weir Point had moved down
towards Medicine Tail Coulee to scout the area. The Warriors knew that other soldiers were not
far away and turned their attention on wiping them out also. From Weir Point the soldiers could
see the Indian Warriors moving in their direction. Weir called the soldiers from Medicine Tail
Coulee back to the high ground. The men dismount and prepare a defensive position on Weir Point.
30 minutes after Weir had moved out Benteen and Reno decide to move towards Weir Point. Benteen
arrives just as the Indian Warriors are preparing to charge up towards the high ground. Reno had
just started moving with the wounded. Benteen was with his men at Weir Point for only just
a few minutes, they withdraw to set up a defensive position where they had originally stopped to
meet Reno. Benteen and Reno set up a position in a depression and prepare for an attack from
the Indian Warriors. On Weir Point the Warriors attack, they greatly outnumber the soldiers, the
order to withdraw is given. The Warriors get incredibly close to the soldiers and deliver an
incredible amount of fire on the Troopers. Farrier Vincent Charlie is shot through the hip and
falls from his horse. As the soldiers flee from the area no one stops to help Charlie, he is
killed by the Warriors. The fleeing soldiers have become panicked as the Warriors pursue them,
Lieutenant Edward Godfrey realizes that the panic would cause the rest of the soldiers to panic and
cause confusion. He orders his men to dismount and fire a volley into the attacking Warriors. The
soldiers slow the attacking Warriors and with an organized withdrawal make it to the defensive
position being prepared by Benteen and Reno's men. In our next episode we will follow the Reno
Benteen defense, the end of the battle and a little bit more about the battlefield today. Thanks for
watching our latest episode on History Adventures please comment and like the video if
you could and subscribe to our page please share with everyone you know that's
a history buff we'll see you next episode.
