Little Bighorn - battle anniversary 1876-2014

Salve,
yesterday, June 25, it passed another anniversary of the battle of Little Bighorn. I have been renewing my interest in all things American cavalry, and hence I am bringing up the subject of this famous clash on the Great Plains.

For many years I did not care about chief American protagonist of this battle, but lately for some reasons (including the reading of the book on Custer's years during the Civil War) I have been  warming up to the great horseman from Michigan. My Life on the Plains - in audio form - is helping too.
Below a photo of dashing Custer when still a captain during the Civil war (1862).

 As the Lakota warrior saw the fighting in his ledger art:

Recent master thesis reconstructing the battle - via archive.org - M.J. Burns, Revisiting the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

On this webpage you can view some of  the ledger art drawn by one of the victorious warrior participants, Red Horse (Miniconjou Lakota), while here another victorious warrior Elk Head, Brule Lakota, tells his story of the very battle.
Custer, along with C, E, F, I, and L companies of  his 7th cavalry regiment (plus men from Major Reno and captain Benteen battalions), died fighting bravely on the Greasy Grass River (the other name for the battle). Some agree that  perhaps his victor can be identified as White Bull of the Miniconjous and author of White Bull Manuscript (nota bene the subject of one very entertaining biography written by Stanley Vestal titled ).

Short article on the battle by Charles King, another famous soldier of US Cavalry and fine writer ( this particular article wrongly attributed on archive.org) .

The battle had many famous native participants -

 Sitting Bull

Crazy Horse- from Amos Bad Heart Bull ledger

Low Dog

Gall

Rain in the Face

Crow King

and so on, and others on the government's side, including some associated with its aftermath, like Buffalo Bill Cody.

Richard Hook wrote and painted a very fine book for Osprey Miltiary Publishing titled Warriors at the Little Bighorn 1876, recreating the victorious Lakota and Cheyenne Indian participants

I will hoover, from time to time in the foreseeable future, over the Great Plains and the various horse cultures that developed, coexisted and finally clashed on the wide expanses of these harsh steppes and hillsides.

Photos and art are mostly from Wiki Commons, American master Russell painted the most native participants oriented piece, in watercolor.

I could not omit the famous horse participant and the survivor of the battle, Captain Keogh's mustang Comanche

Enjoy

ps
Boots and Saddles - by Mrs Elizabeth Custer - in audio form