Strange Things That Never Made Sense About Custer’s Last Stand Exposed | Eyewitness Account

Peter Thompson was a private in the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army during the American Indian Wars. He is best known for his eyewitness account of the Battle of Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand, which took place on June 25, 1876. Thompson was a member of Company C of the 7th Cavalry, which was part of the battalion led by Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer. During the battle, Thompson became separated from his unit and was forced to hide in a ravine, where he witnessed the fighting and the eventual defeat of Custer's forces. After the battle, Thompson was one of the few survivors and was able to escape and rejoin the remaining forces of the 7th Cavalry. He later wrote a detailed account of his experiences during the battle, which provides valuable insights into the events of that day. Thompson's account is considered one of the most important and reliable eyewitness accounts of the Battle of Little Bighorn, and it has been widely used by historians to reconstruct the events of the battle.

In the morning, ere mounting, the companies form in single lines. Each man, commencing at the head of the company, calls out in turn his number; one, two, three, four, and thus these are repeated until the company is all numbered into sets of fours. Cavalrymen dismount and fight on foot, save when a charge is made; but when a dismount is ordered, number four remains on his horse, whilst numbers one, two, and three dismount and hand their bridle reins to number four, who holds the horses whilst they deploy as skirmishers or as otherwise directed. The men composing the four with myself were Private John Fitzgerald, Private John Brennan, and Private James Watson; and although comprising one of the sets of fours that entered into action with Custer, not one of us ever reached the battlefield which proved fatal to Custer and his men. Both Brennan and Fitzgerald turned their horses toward the rear when they had gone two miles beyond the lone teepee. We soon gained the top of the bluffs, whence a view of the surrounding country was obtained. The detail of Company F, which was sent to investigate the teepee, now passed by us on their way to the front with the report that it contained a dead Indian and such articles as were deemed necessary for him on his journey to the "Happy Hunting Ground." About half a mile further on, we came in sight of the Indian village, and 'twas truly an imposing sight to anyone who had not seen aught like it before. For nigh on three miles on the left bank of the river, the teepees were stretched, the white canvas gleaming in the sunlight. Beyond the village was a black mass of ponies grazing on the short green grass. When the companies came in sight of the village, they gave the regular charging yell and urged their horses into a gallop.

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[RootHistoryChannel]

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[jimbob]

I love that all these years later people are still trying to figure out why a few hundred men attacking several thousand was somehow a massacre. 😂

[valerieprice]

Reading the comments, it seems to me, people think the man sat down and wrote his report at the battle. It's customary to debreif soldiers as soon as they are strong enough to talk, and then have them write it if they can, to be sure there are no inconsisencies. In that time, literate people were educated with the Bible, so they had a wide vocabulary and almost Biblical way of describing events, which this account is totally consistent with. Having grown up with horses in Texas, I can follow the report easily, and I have no doubt, he described real events as well as a man with an exhausted horse, in an Indian fight, could be expected to. They didn't have helicopters or Google earth back then. In unfamiliar country, awareness of one's position, and anything going on, is reduced to the immediate vicinity. It sounds like what an average soldier might see and experience in a battle of that kind in that time. I think Hollywood has done people a disservice, since they seem to expect the movie, instead of the miserable experience of warfare.

[harolddburke]

Indians had become excellent horsemen as well as having sawed off Winchester rifles that gave them an advantage. Although im a Union Man i cannot help but admire the Indian. These storys are a history that must be remembered into our modern age. Brave and srong both Indians and soldiers deserve our respect.

[Michael-ofgg]

I worked on the WACC building in Tucson Az. ( Western archeology conservation center) i worked on the controls that moved shelves with artifacts. I came across a woman reading something at a desk. I asked her what it was, she replied "its a log from General Custer" and i was honored to have read some of his words

[captainsensiblejr.]

A lot of Thompson's account of the first day is full of unlikely events and careful descriptions of why he could not rejoin his command. Too many times he was seen by the Sioux, only to be left alone, when being alone he was an obvious target. Then, when with Watson, being on foot and together, they made more of target together.. I really get the impression that he has left out a lot more of hiding than he has told in the account.

[barbaraferron]

In my 70+ years I had always heard that there were no survivors among Custer's men. I think I heard of one horse that survived. I have never heard that their horses were played out.

[bozobaz]

Trusting the word of a coward is like believing what the government tells you

[nuancolar]

There are so many reasons that combine to explain Custer's defeat. First, they were simply outnumbered. Then you have to consider that Custer ignored intelligence from his scouts that should have warned him of the large force of warriors. That blunder led to Reno and Custer himself riding straight into a superior enemy force. By the time Reno and Custer realized what they were up against, they had lost a good portion of the smaller force they began with. From that point, it was a panicked retreat until all were dead.
The mindset of the warriors was very different than that of Custer and his men. Custer really did not approach this as a battle, but rather in terms of making sure the natives did not escape. His orders were to compel them to return to the reservation, so his dividing of forces and entering the camp from more than one point was intended to corral them. He had seen on previous occasions where they would scatter and run. He wrongly expected some of that to occur at Little Bighorn. The warriors, however, saw this as not just a battle, but a fight for their survival. Every brave was prepared to give his all and fought ferociously and without mercy.
Then you have to consider the rifles used by the soldiers compared to that of the warriors. The soldiers used single shot Springfields while many of the warriors had repeating rifles that could fire many shots in the time it took for a soldier to reload. The Springfields had longer ranges, but his was a short range fight.
Finally, the military tactics did not favor the US forces in this battle. Dismounting and forming skirmish lines, with one soldier out of every four holding the horses to the rear, did nothing but create standing targets for the mounted warriors. The warriors were not an organized military unit, but rather individuals all fighting their own way. They swarmed like bees. The soldiers were in danger of being surrounded, or at least attacked from multiple directions, at all times. That's not a good situation for a commander to order his troopers to get off their horses and take a knee.

[Paul-nxt]

When Robert Shaw played Custer all the Indians circled him to defeat him. That prooves how they won the battle.

[PorkChopAChunky]

Eyewitness accounts of battle are like fishing stories but worse. You have to take both sides with a grain of salt. They're both always winning according to themselves.

[SeanRCope]

Thompsons story is fascinating but yeah, nah NOBODY believed his Custer sighting. Wrote it off as desiring the attention of the last man seeing Custer alive.

[savagethebarbarian]

I can’t remember where I heard it but apparently a Suix who was there heard about someone claiming to have survived and his response was something to the effect of “He must have turned into a bird and flown away”. In other words, yeah sure ya did!

[kjemma]

I have read several books on the conflict at Little Big Horn back in those june-days of 1876. Have visited the battlefield, the graves and the museum, listening to park rangers and seen several documentaries about it. Read books about Custer to. I still cant understand why this rather small, uncordinated, messy and insignificant confrontation still resonates with generation after generation. Much like so much other things from the history of the west. But then again - why did I myself study the conflict? Although Im not even harboring 1 tenth of the interest about this part of western history, as I once did, Im still a tad intrigued.

[johngaither]

It's over 4 miles along the top of the bluffs from Last stand hill to the Reno/Benteen battlefield and even further going along the river. How did Thompson and Watson get separated from Custers battalion? How with played out horses did they reach the surviving battalion before nightfall? A party of men was sent to the river by Reno for water along with sharpshooters on the bluff to protect them. Many got the MOH for doing so. Why did Thompson claim to do so alone? Too many contradictions from other accounts for my liking.

[Rednick]

I really appreciate your amazing effort on this video. It could not have been easy to read this so very well. I mean that.

I just want to help with one direction: lead="led"... that's the bullets or shots he's referring to.

Thanks again for your work!!

[henrikrolfsen]

The 7th Cavalry never retreats: But it does sometimes advance to the rear!

[alanlund]

Where are you finding all this information?

Up to now, there were no known eyewitnesses to the events leading up to Custer's eventual defeat, at least white.

Just curious

[oldhippiejon]

Have read some weird stories about the battle but this one takes the biscuit pure fantasy.

[Obi-Wan-Bianchi]

If Thompson was to be given an Indian Name, it would be "Bull Shit" ...