Little Big Horn: responsibilities and consequences (AQA GCSE History): Revision Notes
Little Big Horn: responsibilities and consequences
Background and significance
The Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876 marked a crucial turning point in American government policy towards Plains Indians. This devastating defeat transformed how both the American government and the general public viewed relations with Native American tribes. After their shocking defeat by the Sioux, American leaders decided they would no longer attempt to reach peaceful agreements with Plains Indians, instead pursuing a policy of forced submission.
This battle is often considered the last major Native American military victory against U.S. forces, making its consequences even more significant in the broader context of westward expansion and the end of the Indian Wars period.
Why Custer lost at Little Big Horn
The defeat of the 7th Cavalry resulted from multiple interconnected factors involving poor leadership decisions, inadequate military preparation, and Plains Indian tactical superiority.
Understanding Custer's defeat requires examining multiple factors working together - no single cause explains this military disaster. The combination of leadership failures, intelligence problems, and enemy advantages created the perfect storm for defeat.
Custer's personal failures
General Custer made several critical errors that contributed directly to his defeat. Most significantly, he ignored explicit instructions from his superiors to establish a defensive camp and wait for reinforcements. Instead, he chose to attack immediately with only 600 cavalry soldiers and horses, vastly underestimating the enemy forces he would face.
Custer had marched his exhausted men through the Wolf Mountains to reach the valley of the Little Big Horn, but instead of allowing them to rest as ordered, he pushed forwards with the attack. This left his troops and horses tired before the battle even began. Some historians suggest that Custer's arrogance played a role, as he expected the Sioux warriors to flee rather than fight, demonstrating his failure to understand their determination and military capabilities.
Additionally, Custer refused an offer of Gatling guns (early machine guns), fearing they would slow down his men. He claimed his forces could handle anything without additional firepower, a decision that proved fatal when facing overwhelming numbers of well-prepared enemies.
Critical Leadership Failure: Custer's decision to disobey direct orders and attack without waiting for reinforcements was perhaps the most consequential mistake of the entire campaign. This single decision doomed his forces before the battle even began.
Command structure problems
The information Custer received from his superiors was dangerously incomplete. He had no accurate understanding of how many Plains Indian warriors he would be fighting against or what weapons they possessed. This intelligence failure left him unprepared for the scale of resistance he encountered.
His subordinate officers, including Major Reno and Captain Benteen, used standard army procedures that failed to account for Plains Indian tactics of stealth and ambush warfare. The conventional military approach proved inadequate against an enemy that employed different fighting methods and had superior knowledge of the terrain.
The failure of military intelligence gathering was a common problem throughout the Indian Wars. The U.S. Army often relied on outdated information or made assumptions about Native American capabilities and numbers, leading to tactical disadvantages in many engagements.
Plains Indian advantages
The Plains Indians held several crucial advantages that contributed to their victory. Custer's forces were hugely outnumbered by Plains Indian warriors who were fighting to defend their homeland and way of life. The Plains Indians were simply superior warriors, with better knowledge of the landscape and more effective fighting techniques for the terrain.
There is evidence suggesting that Indian scouts employed by Custer may have leaked information about his movements to the enemy. This intelligence breach had previously occurred at the Battle of Washita in 1868, where Custer had "forgotten" his orders and massacred 103 Plains Indians, mainly women and children. This history of betrayal may have motivated scouts to work against him.
The Numbers Game: Estimates suggest that Custer faced between 1,500 to 2,000 warriors with only 600 men total, and his attack group contained just 200 soldiers. This numerical disadvantage, combined with fighting on unfamiliar terrain against an enemy defending their homeland, made victory nearly impossible.
Bad luck factors
Beyond strategic failures, several unfortunate circumstances contributed to the disaster. Military doctrine at the time supported dividing forces to prevent being heavily outnumbered, but this left Custer and his 200 men isolated in the valley when they needed support most.
Custer attacked quickly because he feared his forces had been discovered by Sioux in the area. These Sioux were actually returning to their reservations and had not alerted other Plains Indians to Custer's presence, meaning his haste was unnecessary and ultimately counterproductive.
The concept of "fog of war" perfectly applies to Little Big Horn - incomplete information and misunderstandings on both sides created a situation where tactical decisions were made based on incorrect assumptions about enemy intentions and capabilities.
Consequences of Little Big Horn
Immediate public reaction
The battle fundamentally changed American public opinion regarding Plains Indians. Previously, there had been some support for peaceful negotiations and treaties. After Little Big Horn, the American people no longer supported policies aimed at reaching peaceful agreements with Plains Indian tribes.
The defeat caused Americans to view Plains Indians as a genuine threat that required military action rather than diplomatic solutions. This shift in public sentiment provided political support for much harsher government policies in the years that followed.
Government policy changes
The American government's approach to Plains Indians underwent a complete transformation after 1876. Treaties that had been negotiated with Plains Indians in previous years were systematically ignored and abandoned. The government decided that military force, rather than negotiation, would be the primary tool for dealing with Native American resistance.
Plains Indians were forced onto increasingly smaller reservations under much worse living conditions. The military made extensive efforts to keep Plains Indians confined to these reservations, often using starvation tactics or stealing their horses and ammunition to prevent any possibility of armed resistance.
Policy Transformation: The Battle of Little Big Horn marked the end of the treaty-making era in U.S.-Native American relations. After 1876, the government abandoned attempts at negotiated settlements and pursued a policy of total military subjugation.
Long-term suppression efforts
The government constructed forts across the western territories to maintain military control over Plains Indian populations. These installations served as bases for operations designed to prevent any future uprisings or attempts to leave the reservation system.
The government exploited Plains Indians' need for food and supplies as a tool of control, using the threat of withholding necessities to force compliance with increasingly restrictive policies. This systematic approach aimed to make Plains Indians completely dependent on government assistance.
The Dawes Act and cultural destruction
The battle indirectly contributed to legislation like the Dawes Act, which aimed to break up tribal lands and force Native Americans to adopt European-American agricultural practices and individual land ownership concepts.
Ghost Dance movement and Wounded Knee
The harsh conditions following Little Big Horn eventually led to the emergence of the Ghost Dance movement among Plains Indians seeking spiritual salvation from their suffering. This religious movement was seen as threatening by government officials, leading to the massacre at Wounded Knee, which effectively ended Plains Indian armed resistance.
The pyrrhic victory
Although Plains Indians achieved a stunning military victory at Little Big Horn, it ultimately became what historians call a "pyrrhic victory" - a success achieved at too great a cost. The victory provoked such a harsh response from the American government that it accelerated the destruction of Plains Indian independence and traditional ways of life.
The Cruel Irony: The Plains Indians' greatest military victory became the catalyst for their ultimate defeat. Their success at Little Big Horn gave the U.S. government the justification it needed to abandon peaceful policies and pursue total military subjugation of Native American tribes.
Timeline of key events
- 1876: Battle of Little Big Horn - Plains Indians defeat Custer's 7th Cavalry
- 1876-1880: Increased military campaigns against Plains Indians
- 1887: Dawes Act passed, breaking up tribal lands
- 1890: Ghost Dance movement emerges
- 1890: Wounded Knee Massacre effectively ends Plains Indian resistance
Key Points to Remember:
- The Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876 was a turning point that ended American attempts at peaceful negotiations with Plains Indians
- Custer's defeat resulted from multiple factors: his disobedience of orders, poor intelligence, tactical mistakes, and Plains Indian military superiority
- Although Plains Indians won the battle, it was a pyrrhic victory that led to much harsher government policies and ultimately accelerated their loss of independence
- The battle's consequences included forced relocation to smaller reservations, military suppression, and policies designed to destroy traditional Plains Indian culture
- The victory indirectly contributed to later tragedies including the Ghost Dance movement and the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890