re: Not a word about Custer

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Custer has permeated the pop culture like no other military person in our history.

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There is obviously a good bit of disagreement. Yes, he is the "soldier" that the SJWs would put forth as the representative of the American military. And I don't disagree with certain elements of your thesis - certainly out of proportion to his actual significance.

I mean, his defeat just led to a redoubled effort to destroy the plains Indians (which was accomplished in relatively short order). So, it was quite Pyrrhic from the native perspective. His wife was keen on protecting/preserving his legacy, and when the Western "culture" Renaissance happened - initially through the wild west shows and ultimately via all those Western films of the 1940s and 1950s - Custer certainly seems more significant than any other field grade officer of the 19th century American military, even all those other cats from the Civil War and Indian Wars.

But, for all practical purposes, Douglas MacArthur WAS the U.S. military for decades, at least in the public consciousness. He had already been a company commander when Patton got out of West Point. He was superintendent when the 15ers graduated. He had the corncob pipe thing, the sunglasses - I think you underestimate how larger than life he was, particularly from 1940 through 1951.

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Correct. And it is unfortunate that more people do not have a better grasp of the legacy of this man.

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At some point in the future, I may pursue a PhD in history. If I do, one of my short list of topics for a dissertation would be to compare/contrast those 2 cats.

Marshall - old Virginia family, but born in Pennsylvania. MacArthur, old Midwestern family, but born in Arkansas. Both born in 1880. Both achieved 5 stars. MacArthur was highly egotistical (more like Patton). Marshall was one of the most steady, stable and quiet leaders we've ever had in such a time of crisis. MacArthur was much more dynamic.

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And why do so many blast the South for its treatment of blacks while ignoring what the North /US did to the Indians?

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Two reasons.

1) The anti-slavery/anti-South side won the war, so they write the history.
2) The goal of subduing the Indians was to make them assimilate and be more like the rest of the country (land ownership, speak English, be Christian) where the south wanted to keep the blacks as a distinct separate entity.

Here's Kruger, Mac and Marshall in 1943 - interesting about Kruger - he actually commanded Third Army during the Louisiana Maneuvers, but was sent to the Pacific with Mac. Walter Kruger (a year or so younger than Marshall and Mac) was actually Prussian by birth and immigrated with his family at the age of 8.

There was an officer of the Waffen SS by the same name who reached the rank of Obergruppenfuhrer, the highest SS rank, comparable to 3 or 4 star U.S. general.

I do not believe it was a mounted battle. The number of casings in several areas suggest several dismounted skirmishes. Including Custer who trying to move down to the Indian camp but was pushed back to last stand hill where the command was quickly dispatched. They would not have stayed on horseback in this or most of the other engagements. Reno's calvary charge quickly turned into a dismounted battle then a rout as well.

The Custer Myth By Col. Graham is a great source book.

Nobody has ever heard of Ranald Mackenzie, commander of the US 2nd Cavalry, who pacified the Comanche, every bit as formidable an opponent as as the Sioux and Cheyenne, if not more so. He was not flamboyant and didn't get his command killed, so he didn't go down in history.

The plains Indians were going to lose no matter what, but it didn't have to be as tragic as it was. North of the "Medicine Line," there was much less conflict between the Indians and British/Canadians, because they took a diplomatic rather than military approach. The Indians respected someone who would deal straight with them. Gen. Nelson Miles was one of the few US Army officers who fit this description. He could usually quell disturbances with little or no bloodshed because he was universally respected among the Indians.

Errol Flynn played him in an old movie.

Custer was the most photographed American of the 19th Century. Partly because photography was just getting popular during his lifetime. And partly because he really liked having his photo taken.

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This was like in every bar in America:

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There is a key word in your sentence.

No one today has ever heard of Custer.

Hell, more people know Schwarzkopf then custer.

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Custer was an absolute idiot. Big time.

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He was overconfident in what he was sending out there.
Kinda like this..

LINK