Custer Suicide Theory !

[WhatAnArtist]

Not knowledgeable enough on the topic to say for certain, but what I will say is that if I were in his position I'd definitely shoot myself rather than be taken alive. Some of the stories of the tortures the Native Americans inflicted on people are truly horrifying. Honour hasn't got anything to do with it when the alternative to the bullet to the head is a long and violent and painful death. Only a fool would risk that happening when it's obvious all is lost.

 

[Link the Historian]

Never really gave this must thought but I just wonder is there any validity to this theory.
Just wanting to see what others view are on this .
Did Custer commit suicide or note but somewhere I read Native American account of the battle & saying who may have killed Custer!

Well, it's possible if he didn't want to be captured by the Sioux. Soldiers offing themselves to avoid capture is a known thing in wartime. That said, he never struck me as the type that would entertain the notion of suicide. As others mentioned, since he was the commander, he had to be exposed and be the one shouting the orders so if anything, he was among the first to die in the battle.

Not knowledgeable enough on the topic to say for certain, but what I will say is that if I were in his position I'd definitely shoot myself rather than be taken alive. Some of the stories of the tortures the Native Americans inflicted on people are truly horrifying. Honour hasn't got anything to do with it when the alternative to the bullet to the head is a long and violent and painful death. Only a fool would risk that happening when it's obvious all is lost.

Oh I'm with you on that one. If I were in a hopeless battle against an enemy known for brutal torture, I'd rather shoot myself than be captured.

 

[Jumare Jaeger]

Hahahaha.

No. (Remember that it never hurts to at least check out Wikipedia before posting a really stupid question!)

 

[Link the Historian]

I thought Wikipedia was one of those 'to be avoided' sites?

 

[WhatAnArtist]

Hahahaha.

No. (Remember that it never hurts to at least check out Wikipedia before posting a really stupid question!)

There's nothing stupid about this question. If you actually read all of the comments that people have left in this thread rather than making a rude and dismissive post yourself, you'd see that it's inspired quite a lot of interesting discussion, with convincing arguments for both sides of the theory.

 

[Mando]

What I have learned about Custer, (reading of events) is that he was attempting to get them to surrender by grabbing the women and children as hostages. Also that his body was partially mutalated by sticks being poked into his ears to clean them out so he could hear.

 

[SVenezia]

Custer was right handed. The head wound was on the left side. It would be an awkward way to kill yourself.

 

[bedb]

I despise Custer, a gonnorheaic thug in buckskins. If he were going to commit suicide, he should have done it in Virginia. Adding to the counting coup story, the women drove sewing needles into his ears, asking him if he could hear them now?

 

[JakeStarkey]

White Bull fought Custer on foot, took his pistol, clubbed him, shot him in the left side of the head then near the heart.