One topic that is a rather interesting and important one regarding General Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn is his mind-set leading up to that battle. The matter has received in-depth coverage, and conclusions drawn regarding it have influenced not only the topic itself, but how Custer has been presented overall as a person, as well as the history of the battle. This makes it a rather important topic regarding both the man and the battle. It also makes a new development regarding the matter rather interesting. Before examining this new development though, it might be a good idea to look at how the matter is currently defined.

The topic of Custer's mind-set leading up to the Little Bighorn comes across as being pretty much settled now - and it typically doesn't present him in the best light. He is often presented as being selfish at the time. As it might be expected, this has had a profound effect on how he has been viewed as a person. It has also affected overall depictions of the man as well.

Today, Custer is often presented as being selfish not only leading up to the Little Bighorn, but in general. Further, typical presentations don't just depict him as being selfish - they depict him as being extremely so. At times, he is depicted as being so driven by selfishness, he no longer seems like a human being. In the end, the picture we often get of him comes across as unrealistic.

Conclusions regarding Custer's mind-set leading up to the Little Bighorn have not only affected the way he has been viewed and presented, but also the history of the battle as well. This is due to the fact that military battles do not typically occur spontaneously - they usually have factors that lead up to them. The factors that lead up to battles are then used at times to interpret actions and decisions made during the battles.

In the case of the Little Bighorn in particular, Custer's mind-set leading up to it has certainly been used to interpret his actions and decisions made both before and during the battle. Thus, the topic has become an important part of the battle itself.

It's quite clear then that Custer's mind-set leading up to that battle has become an important matter regarding both the man and the battle as it has been used to define both. The importance of the matter, along with the fact that it is now typically considered settled, makes the discovery of information that depicts the matter differently rather interesting.

In a letter written by General Custer himself, information has been discovered that shows his mind-set leading up to the Little Bighorn as being very different from what is typically presented. What's more, the information is often not even mentioned when the topic is addressed. Thus, there is little indication that the information has been factored into current and long-held conclusions regarding the subject. This makes the information quite important to the matter.

On May 20th, 1876 - more than a month before the Battle of the Little Bighorn - Custer wrote a letter to his wife. He had been in the field for about four days with a U.S. military column and was now on the journey that would take him to the Little Bighorn Battle.

Custer's superior officer at the time was General Terry. He was traveling with the same column that Custer was, and was in direct command of the column. Terry being in command of the column allowed Custer to be free of the responsibilities that went with commanding it. It also meant that he was not responsible for the column's results.

Since the column had gone into the field it had been raining, the roads had been bad, and the column had traveled forty-six miles. This was not quite the progress some had hoped for.

Custer wrote to his wife that: "I feel the relief of not having to bear the responsibility of the delays" (Custer, 305). These are some rather interesting words coming from General Custer. They also give us valuable insight into his mind-set leading up to the Little Bighorn Battle.

These words tell us that for Custer, responsibility could be a burden. They also tell us that had he been responsible for the column's results, it would have been a burden for him - one that he would actually have felt. What's more, these words tell us that he felt relief over not being responsible for the results of the column.

We see then that while Custer was on his way to the Little Bighorn, he had the prospect of failure on his mind, and that he had no interest in being responsible for it. This is a monumental and significant development for the topic - it is able to change the way the topic is defined. This is due to a number of reasons.

One reason these words are able to impact the topic has already been mentioned - that being the fact that they have not been factored into typical conclusions regarding the subject. This is apparent as the words do not typically appear when the topic is presented.

Another reason this insight is able to affect the topic is because it is completely different from how the matter is typically presented. In these words we don't find a cold-hearted, selfish man, who is only interested in personal gain. Instead, we find someone who is concerned about failure - and interested in avoiding it.

These words are also an important development regarding the topic because they are based in reality. While some depictions of Custer's mind-set at the time come across as unrealistic, this one does not. In these words, Custer voices concern over something that normal people typically have concerns over - the prospect of failure. It would be difficult to overstate how important this is to the matter. At last, a reasonable motivating factor for Custer leading up to the Little Bighorn has been found. The notion of him being driven by selfishness at the time can now be safely, and confidently dismissed.

Yet another reason these words are able to substantially and adequately impact the topic is that they come from Custer himself. The internal nature of the matter makes him the only one with direct knowledge of it. In other words, he was the only one who really knew what his mind-set was at the time. That makes him the sole authority on the subject. It also makes anything he communicated regarding the subject crucial to it's definition. What's more, it makes any communication from him on the subject of greater importance than that from others.

Custer's own words are also important to the subject because without some communication from him regarding it, we really don't have enough information to adequately and accurately tell us what his mind-set was at the time. Some have tried interpreting his actions, decisions, and words though in order to try and fill in the gaps and determine what his mind-set was at the time. This can lead to misinterpretations though.

While some may have seen interpreting Custer's words, actions, and decisions, as being necessary to address the matter in the past, it is certainly no longer necessary now - we have his own words on the subject. This allows the possibility of misinterpretations when trying to fill in the gaps regarding his mind-set at the time to be removed.

Yet another reason this information is important to the topic is due to the fact that it has been preserved verbatim since it was first written. This lends to the credibility of the information. It also makes the information stand out when compared with information that comes from other sources regarding the topic.

Some presentations have used oral history as a source when defining the topic. Others have relied on reports of Custer's words or actions that were sometimes created years after the words were spoken or the actions performed. This makes the information in Custer's letter rare, unique, and thus, quite valuable to the topic.

Due to the importance of Custer's own written words on the subject, there's something strange about how the topic is typically presented - it is typically presented without any words of his that were written at the time. This is rather odd. One would think that due to their importance, some of his written words from the time would be used to define the subject. This is usually not the case though. Custer is often presented as being selfish leading up to the Little Bighorn without any words of his that were written at the time. This is very strange indeed.

If Custer had been extremely selfish at the time, there should be ample evidence demonstrating such. Yet, none of his written words from the time are used to support this. There is also an odd absence in the Little Bighorn documentation of any written words of his that support this. This is very strange indeed. It begs the question: how could he be driven by selfishness at the time and there be no definitive and sufficient evidence of it? After all, he was on the path that would take him to the Little Bighorn Battle for over a month. If he had been driven by selfishness at the time, there should be definitive evidence of such - yet there is none.

On the other hand, there is definitive evidence that he was concerned about failure at the time. It becomes clear then that it is time for the subject of Custer's mind-set leading up to the Little Bighorn to be re-defined.

Some may wonder if these words of Custer can really impact the topic that much. After all, they are only a few words. After looking at how the topic is typically defined, and having examined the words, it becomes evident that they are certainly enough to impact the topic in a meaningful way.

One of the most important topics regarding Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn is his mind-set leading up to that battle. It's importance can be judged by it's influence. It has influenced the history of the battle, and of the man - sometimes in intricate ways. It's influence has reached far and wide.

The topic has become so influential that if it were to be re-defined even slightly, it could have a profound impact on not only the history of the battle, but of the man as well. That makes the discovery of information that depicts the matter differently rather exciting.

Custer has typically been presented as being selfish leading up to the Little Bighorn. However, information has been discovered that tells a very different story regarding the matter - it depicts him as being primarily concerned about failure and the avoidance of it when he was headed to the Little Bighorn. This is completely different from the mind-set typically ascribed to him at the time.

In various ways, this information stands out from, and takes precedence above other information that has been used to define the topic. It becomes time then for the topic to be re-defined.

Custer was primarily concerned about failure and the avoidance of it when he was headed to the Little Bighorn. This is a far more realistic, credible, and acceptable view of the matter than has typically been presented.

Even if Custer was not primarily concerned about failure leading up to the Little Bighorn, the information discovered shows that it was at least part of his mind-set at the time. This means that he was not completely driven by selfishness when he was headed to the Little Bighorn. It also makes the matter a more complex one than has typically been presented. These considerations certainly make it time for the subject to be re-defined. Not only does it become time for this subject to be re-defined, but for any other subject that has relied on Custer being selfish leading up to the Little Bighorn to be re-defined as well. This includes the history of the battle, and of the man himself.

Custer's mind-set leading up to the Battle of the Little Bighorn has become an important part of the battle's history - so much of it has been built upon conclusions drawn regarding the subject. People have long sought to define what was driving Custer at the time and what was behind his decisions. After examining recently discovered information, it becomes clear that he was concerned about failure when he was headed to the Little Bighorn. This was his primary concern at the time. At the least, it was a part of his mind-set leading up to the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

---

About the Author

Tim Kloos is an online advertising professional. He helps clients with their websites, online presence, and online advertising. If you need help with any of these, feel free to contact him via the contact page.

His tech website is clevelandwebdesignplus.com.

He has also written a children's book set in the Old West.