Would General Custer have survived the Battle at the Little Big Horn?

Question

Had he not split his Command in order to encircle the indian encampment despite the difficulty of the terrain.
Or would he have lost his entire Command had he not split into three columns? (four if you include his supply wagons).
This is a "What if scenario" Best realistic answer please!

Answer 1

He was 'dead' from the git-go.

Tactics (splitting his regement) aren't even relevant, since he shouldn't have been on the battlefield to begin with.

With Indian superior numbers and superior Winchester rifles, it would have turned out the same either way.

Answer 2

No way. Custer and his men were on unfamiliar ground for the most part, heavily outnumbered by better warriors with an intimate knowledge of the terrain. Custer could not and would not have used the supply wagons for protection, that's where food and gunpowder were stored.

The only way Custer could have won the Battle at Little Big Horn would have been to lure the native warriors into his own turf, had more soliders trained in the battle techniques of the Native Americans. I guess we all have to learn our own way!

Answer 3

I doubt it--Custer was not the great strategist he's been made out to be. He graduated dead last in his class at West Point, and was only given the title of General after the Civil War. More than anything, he was a legend in his own mind. He was vastly outnumbered, and greatly underestimated the training and skill of his opponents. He believed he had come across a minor encampment, when in fact it was a major meeting of Indian tribes.

Answer 4

Custers force was defeated '' in the time it takes for a hungry man to eat his dinner'' according to one documented indian testimony. Custers biggest problem was his ego; even if he had not split his force he would probably have carried out a frontal open attack bouyed by the fact that he had his entire force in one place. The camp he would have attacked consisted of not only several clans of the sioux, but also cheyenne and blackfoot warriors. The Indian 'village' was spread over several miles and the warriors had modern weapons as well as there traditional ones. Custer consistently ignored advice from his scouts and officers and he broke the cardinal rule by underestimating his enemy. He was incompetent and paid the price.

Answer 5

Benteen and Reno made it out with inferior numbers, but they weren't arrogant and went into defensive modes. If all three regiments were together, they would've been wiped out (most likely) due to Custer's arrogance. The rolling and moving battle on the grassy slopes didn't lend itself to a defensive battle, at least not where Custer was. Of course, in the fog of battle, anything could've happened.

Answer 6

If Benteen had chosen to obey the note and rush to Custer's aid, the result just might have been different. By choosing to join Reno's men of the bluff, he effectively sealed Custer's fate.

Similarly, Weir might have gone to Custer's aid. There is no doubt he was enraged by Reno's failure to do so.

Military analysts to this day are undecided whether Custer's decision to split is command was a correct one. He made what was the right decision at the time and who was going to argue with him?

Answer 7

Considering that Benteen and Reno were able to make it out, perhaps.

If he hadn't refused the Gatling Gun (he felt it slowed him down) things may be been a bit more evened out

If Reno didn't get Bloody Knife's brains splattered all over him, he may have had greater wits about him.

If Custer had accepted the information on the amount of manpower the Lakota-Northern Cheyenne had mustered, and if he waited for the reinforcements, it may have been different

Answer 8

Ignorance abounds on this web site. Custer graduated last in his class of 36 because the other 30 many of whom were lower than he left the Point before graduation. As for those other 30 they lost bigger than Custer did. Look at their casualty stats if you want to see waste of human life.

Answer 9

No, he broke the golden rule of engagement, he did not scout his enemy postion and under-estimated their strength.

He did'nt have the element of surprise, is far outnumbered and doomed right from the beginning. Even with the entire command, the battle will just prolonged a little more before annilhation.

Answer 10

I don't know, but in the film there seemed to be endless supplies of Indians. and, if he had survived, it couldn't have been called Custers last stand. That would have meant that Hollywood could't have made any films about it.