I admit as a historian I find the the 1876 battle of Little Big Horn fascinating for a number of reasons.
Maybe it's Custer's arrogance or the Sioux nations last gasp of independence that makes this moment in time so intriguing to me but it was most definitely a defining moment in the American West.
This painting called "The Decision" represents Custer's order to split his forces at the divide of the Rosebud River and the valley of the Little Big Horn.
Why he did this is for historians to argue over but it lead to the elimination of his command and the beginning of the end for armed native American resistance.
This painting depicts the conversation at that moment. I wonder what his junior officers thought as he gave the order to proceed and attaack the large Indian village that they could see across the river. His troops were tire and dusty they had just finished an 18 mile ride and it was just a little before 12:oo on that fateful day in 1876. What were they thinking?
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