Medal of Honor: Courage of the Soldiers and Warriors at Custer’S Last Stand

By Gerald Hickman

The world will never forget the battle that began June 25, 1876, and for good reason.

Gen. George Armstrong Custer divided his forces, and instead of waiting for ammunition and supplies, he attacked a huge Indian village on the Little Bighorn River in Eastern Montana Territory. No one has been able to reasonably explain the generals actions because he died along with all his men.

Gerald Hickman, a former park ranger with the National Park Service at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, seeks to explore the mystery. What happened that pitted the brave soldiers against fierce warrior chiefsincluding Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Lame White Man, Gaul, Wooden Leg and othersfrom the Lakota Teton Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, Southern Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribes.

The chiefs did not know it then, but their victory would make the United States government and its citizens more determined than ever to place all American Indians on government-established reservations.

Take a walk through history, explore one of historys greatest mysteries, and honor the brave men and women who died on hallowed ground with Medal of Honor.

Dr. James Carnell, D.D.S. "Medal of Honor is true history. I loved reading this book. I enjoyed it so much I gave it to my Dad and he enjoyed it as much as I did."

Vic Bailey, Spokane Historian "This book is about history but it, also, comes complete with the interesting anecdotes about the battle. Human interest stuff."

Karen McElliott, teacher, Everett, WA."Dad and Mom wanted me to send you an email thanking you for the Medal of Honor book. Dad has been reading and enjoying it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781496966254

Gerald Hickman

Gerald Hickman was a park ranger for the National Park Service at Little Bighorn and personally studied the battle grounds. He worked as a wildlife biologist and has published more than sixty articles for scientific journals and general interest magazines. He lives in Eastern Washington State with his wife Micky.

Book preview

2015 Gerald Hickman. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 02/03/2015

ISBN: 978-1-4969-6626-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-6625-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015901191

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Contents

Author’s Introduction

Chapter 1 Buffalo Plains Indian Village

Chapter 2 Cavalry Trooper Circa 1876

Chapter 3 The Little Bighorn Battle

Chapter 4 Charlie Windolph, a trooper with the famous ⁷th Calvary

Chapter 5 Wooden Leg, A Young Northern Cheyenne Warrior

Chapter 6 Survivors

Chapter 7 General Terry rescues the Remains of the Seventh

Chapter 8 The Battle of Rosebud Creek (June 17, 1876)

Chapter 9 The End of the Great Sioux War of 1876 and 1877

Bibliography

Acknowledgement

With thanks to all my helpers in the production of this publication I especially wish to thank: My wife Micky for her support and encouragement during our time at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument and during the writing and proof reading of the book. Thanks go out to Brent Boling for his help in proofing the manuscript and to Tea Joe Hickman for her cover design and all her good work on the book and how to use the PC. Special thanks to Shannon Hickman for her help and encouragement throughout the whole process from Little Bighorn visits to publication. I thank all the personnel at Author House, especially Joan Connors and Laura Nicholson for their help along the way.

Gerald Hickman

Author’s Introduction

It is a real pleasure and a privilege for anyone to be able to work at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument near Crow Agency in Montana and convey to the visitors what history we know about the fight that took place on the site in 1876. I enjoyed the work and the special feeling that many visitors and Rangers feel for the Greasy Grass and the history of its battle.

The Battle of the Little Bighorn is one of only a few military actions that reflect a significant moment in American history. Another such battle was during the Civil War at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Both of these battles represent a turning point in history, both are high water marks in their own right. Currently, over 5,000 books and articles have been published about the Little Bighorn more now than about Gettysburg. George Armstrong Custer was at both of these battles. Without Custer and his volunteer cavalry the turning point of the War could have taken a different direction.

Perhaps Custer’s presence was crucial in turning what was a skirmish when compared with many Civil War battles into such a remarkable part of the history of the western frontier. The number of killed in action was small in comparison with major engagements of the War Between the States. However, the significance of the upshot of Little Bighorn on the attitude of the country at large and the determined effort to place all Native Americans on Government established Reservations cannot be minimized. The Battle of the Little Bighorn was the last stand for the buffalo plains tribes.

The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is here to pay homage to warriors, women and children of the Native Americans and to the soldiers who fought and died here. The Battlefield is a special place, mostly unchanged since the day of the fight. This is the only battlefield in the world with markers representing the approximate location of casualties by name from the battle. This area is