Summary

Ever since the Custer battle on June 25, 1876, the question has been asked: What happened--what REALLY happened--at the Battle of the Little Bighorn? We know some of the answers because half of George Armstong Custer's Seventh Cavalry--the men with Major Marcus Reno and Captain Frederick Benteen--survived the fight, but what of the half that did not, the troopers, civilians, scouts, and journalists who were with Custer?

Now, because a grass fire in August 1983 cleared the terrain of brush and grass and made thorough archaeological examination possible, we have many answers to these important questions. On the basis of the evidence presented in this book, we know more about what kinds of weapons were used against the cavalry. We know exactly where most of the men fought, how they died, and what happened to their bodies at the time of or after death. We know how the troopers were deployed, what kind of clothing they wore, what kind of equipment they used, and how they fought. Through the techniques of historical archaeology and forensic anthropology, the remains and grave of one of Custer's scouts, Mitch Boyer has been identified.