The Battle of the Little Bighorn

Custer's Battle Plan

© Barry Vale

May 26, 2009
General George Armstrong Custer's battle plan for the Battle of the Little Bighorn fought on the 25th June 1876 was deeply flawed

General George Armstrong Custer’s battle plan for the Battle of the Little Bighorn fought on the 25th June 1876. The Battle of the Little Bighorn took place during the Plains War fought between the United States government and the Native American tribes that lived on the Western Plains.

General George A. Custer was an arrogant United States cavalry officer who seriously under estimated the strength and the military abilities of his Native American opponents prior to the Battle of the Little BigHorn being fought. The under estimation of his Native American opponents meant that the battle plan General Custer adopted for the Battle of the Little Big Horn was flawed from the beginning.

General George A. Custer's battle plan for the Battle of the Little Bighorn was a straightforward one. The only problem with General Custer's straightforward battle plan for the Battle of the Little Bighorn was that it was fatally flawed. General Custer chose to fight the Battle of the Little Bighorn because he believed that he could win the engagement despite his small force being heavily outnumbered by his Native American opponents.

Fatal Flaws

General George A. Custer could have had a better battle plan for the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and let us be honest he could not have adopted a worse plan than the one he actually followed that day. The arrogant and rash General Custer could have decided not to have fought his Native American opponents on that fateful day. Alternatively General Custer could have waited for further reinforcements before fighting the Battle of the Little Bighorn yet his overconfidence combined with his impatience meant that he decided to fight the Battle of the Little Bighorn in circumstances astutely picked and controlled by his Native American opponents.

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The copyright of the article The Battle of the Little Bighorn in American History is owned by Barry Vale. Permission to republish The Battle of the Little Bighorn in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.




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