For years, General Custer and his troop's massacre at Little Big Horn was described in glowing terms--highly romanticized and awfully inaccurate. The famous Errol Flynn film "They Died With Their Boots On" was accepted as truth...when in fact it was mostly fictional. This episode of "The American Experience" separates the myths from the realities and focuses much of the show on Custer.
The film begins with the massacre of Custer and his men at Little Big Horn but then quickly jumps back to his days at West Point (where he set a record for disciplinary infractions and graduated last in his class). It then jumped to the Civil War and the attributes that made Custer so successful that he received a battlefield commission to general. His bravery, impulsiveness and all the qualities that led to him getting killed in 1876, helped him become a beloved leader in the 1860s. Following the war, he remained in the cavalry and was returned to the rank of captain. During this time until his death, he served out west fighting in various Indian wars. At times, he was in trouble (getting court martialed even) for insubordination and impulsiveness and at others he was wildly successful. What was consistent was his believe in himself and his recklessness. What follows is a chronological review of the events leading to the Little Big Horn debacle and this idiot's death.
For the most part, this episode of "The American Experience" paints Custer as a total idiot...an incompetent who would either wildly succeed or spectacularly fail throughout his career. It also explains how and why the image of a great hero was created as well as by whom. Finally, it talks about the modern deconstruction of the myth and how folks today view the man and the mission very differently. Overall, it's a fascinating warts and all view of a highly flawed hero and probably the best portrait of Custer and his famed Last Stand.
The film begins with the massacre of Custer and his men at Little Big Horn but then quickly jumps back to his days at West Point (where he set a record for disciplinary infractions and graduated last in his class). It then jumped to the Civil War and the attributes that made Custer so successful that he received a battlefield commission to general. His bravery, impulsiveness and all the qualities that led to him getting killed in 1876, helped him become a beloved leader in the 1860s. Following the war, he remained in the cavalry and was returned to the rank of captain. During this time until his death, he served out west fighting in various Indian wars. At times, he was in trouble (getting court martialed even) for insubordination and impulsiveness and at others he was wildly successful. What was consistent was his believe in himself and his recklessness. What follows is a chronological review of the events leading to the Little Big Horn debacle and this idiot's death.
For the most part, this episode of "The American Experience" paints Custer as a total idiot...an incompetent who would either wildly succeed or spectacularly fail throughout his career. It also explains how and why the image of a great hero was created as well as by whom. Finally, it talks about the modern deconstruction of the myth and how folks today view the man and the mission very differently. Overall, it's a fascinating warts and all view of a highly flawed hero and probably the best portrait of Custer and his famed Last Stand.