Edward Settle Godfrey

Custer's Last Battle Edward Settle Godfrey

"Gentlemen, in my opinion General Custer has made the biggest mistake in his life, by not taking the whole regiment in at once in the first attack." --Captain Moylan, a veteran soldier, in Custer's Last Battle

Custer's Last Battle, originally published in Century Magazine in 1892, describes Lieutenant Edward Settle Godfrey's experiences as a survivor of the Battle of Little Bighorn, the most significant during the Great Sioux War in 1876. This battle between Arapaho, Lakota, and Norther Cheyenne tribes and the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, ended in a major defeat of US forces. More than half of US troops were killed: 268 officers and troops, including Lieutenant Colonel Custer, two of his brothers, his brother-in-law, and a nephew. The number of Indian casualties were estimated between 31 to 300. Although the US forces lost this battle, over time Custer and his troops became iconic figures in American history.