A Companion to Custer and the Little Bighorn Campaign [Hardcover]

• An accessible and authoritative overview of the scholarship that has shaped our understanding of one of the most iconic battles in the history of the American West
• Combines contributions from an array of respected scholars, historians, and battlefield scientists
• Outlines the political and cultural conditions that laid the foundation for the Centennial Campaign and examines how George Armstrong Custer became its figurehead
• Provides a detailed analysis of the battle maneuverings at Little Bighorn, paying special attention to Indian testimony from the battlefield
• Concludes with a section examining how the Battle of Little Bighorn has been mythologized and its pervading influence on American culture

List of Illustrations viii

Notes on Contributors x

Acknowledgments xiv

Introduction 1
Brad D. Lookingbill

Part I The Indians of the Northern Plains 11

1 The Lakota Sioux 13
RaniHenrik Andersson

2 The Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho 34
Leo Killsback

3 Patriot Chiefs 54
Kurt Windisch

4 The Native Way of War 74
Daniel Sauerwein

5 Auxiliaries and Scouts 92
Adam R. Hodge

Part II The US Army in the Western Territories 111

6 The Policies of War and Peace 113
Bill Carney

7 Forts on the Northern Plains 130
Janne Lahti

8 Army Life 148
Robin S. Conner

9 Women and Dependents 170