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Hello on the 10th of July 1876 the New York Daily Tribune printed a new poem by Walt Whitman

The purge was reacting to a story he'd read in the previous day's newspapers

Federal soldiers had suffered a terrible defeat in the Midwest

Am bushed by a larger force of Native Americans more than 200 men led by George Custer had been killed in his sperm

Whitman paid tribute to the cavalry companies fighting to the last in sternest coolest heroism the fall of Custer and all his officers and men

This battle which took place on the Little Big Horn River in Dakota was an important defeat in a continuing conflict between the US government and the Native American

Tribes it remains one of the most celebrated military encounters in the nation's history and today Custer's name is as well known as

It was in the immediate aftermath of his death

But does the celebration of Custer tell anything like the whole story?

We'd me to discuss Custer's last stand are Kathleen Burke professor of modern and contemporary history at University College London

Adam Smith senior lecture in American history also of University College London and

Soul David professor of war studies at the University of Buckingham, Custer and Burke this battle took place during a time in great change

America for the purposes of this story what were the most significant developments that were taking place in the last say

Quarter of the 19th century

Well the context of course of the whole thing is massive increases in American population

so great landhound landhunger and an economic

Strong economic developments especially around the mid mid century that required

resources

Now the whole half century up to where we're really going to to take off shows every every 20 years a nearly a doubling of American population

and by

...