This episode of "The American Experience" ran 58 minutes--not the 234 listed on IMDb.
This story is about the slaughter of General Custer and the 7th Cavalry by the combined forces of the Lakota (Sioux) and Cheyenne. It's told through narration, photos, drawings and interviews with descendants of folks who'd been at the battle. Most were Sioux/Cheyenne but because Custer was apparently a total idiot, he split his forces and a group of soldiers survived--and a couple of their relatives were interviewed. I thought it was rather funny when one lady described what she'd been told by her relative--that Custer was an egotistical jerk who didn't care at all about his men. In fact, he DID graduate LAST in his class at West Point and was suspended from duty for his maltreatment of his men.
Much of the film consisted of explaining why the natives were so angry. While at the time, Red Cloud, Sitting Bull and the rest were seen as the villains, the white folks often felt dispossessing and assimilating the Indians was inevitable. The use of Indian schools, broken treaties, Manifest Destiny, the railroads, attacks on Indians, discovery of gold, and many other factors led to this dramatic step of wiping out an entire cavalry unit and declaring war on the US. For this discussion, lots of descendants of Sioux/Cheyenne warriors were interviewed and explained their case.
Overall, it is a very good documentary as it explains why the events occurred--though mostly explained from the natives' point of view since most of Custers' men were killed in the battle. Worth seeing--even if the topic is a VERY familiar one for documentaries.
This story is about the slaughter of General Custer and the 7th Cavalry by the combined forces of the Lakota (Sioux) and Cheyenne. It's told through narration, photos, drawings and interviews with descendants of folks who'd been at the battle. Most were Sioux/Cheyenne but because Custer was apparently a total idiot, he split his forces and a group of soldiers survived--and a couple of their relatives were interviewed. I thought it was rather funny when one lady described what she'd been told by her relative--that Custer was an egotistical jerk who didn't care at all about his men. In fact, he DID graduate LAST in his class at West Point and was suspended from duty for his maltreatment of his men.
Much of the film consisted of explaining why the natives were so angry. While at the time, Red Cloud, Sitting Bull and the rest were seen as the villains, the white folks often felt dispossessing and assimilating the Indians was inevitable. The use of Indian schools, broken treaties, Manifest Destiny, the railroads, attacks on Indians, discovery of gold, and many other factors led to this dramatic step of wiping out an entire cavalry unit and declaring war on the US. For this discussion, lots of descendants of Sioux/Cheyenne warriors were interviewed and explained their case.
Overall, it is a very good documentary as it explains why the events occurred--though mostly explained from the natives' point of view since most of Custers' men were killed in the battle. Worth seeing--even if the topic is a VERY familiar one for documentaries.
