Don't Let Custer's Last Stand Be Yours, Too

"If our eyes were not blinded by the dust of sin, we should see horses of fire and chariots of fire round about the Lord's servants.” – C.H. Spurgeon

I was watching a video the other day about Custer’s Last Stand and the Battle of the Little Bighorn, which took place on June 25, 1876. Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer, a Civil War hero, led his 7th Calvary from Fort Laramie on a mission to force the Lakota Sioux off land that belonged to the Crow Indians. As early as 1873, Crow chief Blackfoot had called for U.S. military action against the intruders, but the Lakota Sioux had been forced off their own native lands in the Black Hills by the Army and white settlers, so they had nowhere else to go.

The overall battle plan was for Custer to join forces with Colonel John Gibbon’s army – which included six companies of the 7th Infantry and four troops of the 2nd Cavalry – and Brig. General Alfred Terry’s columns on June 26th or 27th. However, Custer decided to launch an attack on the massive Indian village that his scouts had located without waiting for reinforcements.

The possible reasons for Custer’s fatal decision are many. Supposedly, he feared that his army was in danger of being discovered if he waited and he didn’t want to lose the element of surprise. Some historians also speculate that the glory-seeking Custer, who had been a brevetted major general during the Civil War, was anxious to make a name for himself.

Regardless of his motive, the West Point-trained Custer made one critical mistake: he divided his army of 700 men into three squadrons. He placed three troops under the command of Major Marcus Reno and three more under the command of Captain Frederick Benteen. Five troops remained under Custer’s direct command and a 12th troop, commanded by Captain Thomas McDougall, guarded the slower pack train.

Who knows how the battle would have turned out had Custer kept his forces together… or had he waited for Gibbons and Terry to arrive before launching a coordinated attack? However, one thing is certain: much of the Indians movements were clouded by clouds of dust that they stirred up moving from location to location. With limited visibility, Custer and his scouts weren’t able to correctly estimate the actual size of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho forces led by Crazy Horse, Chief Gall, and others until it was too late. As a result, every man under Custer’s direct command perished, including two of his brothers, his nephew, and his brother-in-law.

Yes, indeed, the “dust of sin” can blind our eyes and have devastating consequences.

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President