Law at Little Big Horn
Subtitle: due process denied
By: Charles E. Wright ; foreword by Gordon Morris Bakken
Contributors: Bakken, Gordon Morris, writer of foreword
Series: Plains histories; Plains histories
Publisher: Texas Tech University Press
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 315
ISBN-13: 9780896729124
Subjects: Black Hills War, 1876-1877; Cheyenne Indians; Little Bighorn, Battle of the, Mont., 1876; Dakota Indians; Law and legislation; Legal status, laws; History
Description: "During the nineteenth century, the rights of American Indians were frequently violated by the president and ignored or denied enforcement by federal courts. However, at times Congress treated the Indians with good faith and honored due process, which prohibits the government from robbing any person of life, liberty, or property without a fair hearing before an impartial judge or jury. These due process requirements protect all Americans and were in effect when President Grant launched the Great Sioux War in 1876--without a formal declaration of war by Congress. Charles E. Wright analyzes the legal backdrop to the Great Sioux War, asking the hard questions of how treaties were to be honored and how the US government failed to abide by its sovereign word. Until now, little attention has been focused on how the events leading up to and during the Battle of Little Big Horn violated American law. While other authors have analyzed George Armstrong Custer's tactics and equipment, Wright is the first to investigate the legal and constitutional issues surrounding the United States' campaign against the American Indians. This is not just another Custer book. Its contents will surprise even the most accomplished Little Big Horn scholar"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: George Armstrong Custer, the man and his world --; title: Custer and the Seventh Cavalry Regiment --; title: The Indians who fought at the Little Big Horn --; title: Laws, treaties, and the doctrine of good faith --; title: The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie and President Grant's conspiracy --; title: The Great Sioux War is launched --; title: June 21, 1876 : the setting --; title: June 22 : Terry's plan, Custer moves out --; title: Lack of intelligence and inadequate planning --; title: June 25 : Custer deploys for battle --; title: The Little Big Horn battlefield --; title: Custer's final battle : the evidence and battle tactics --; title: Aftermath of battle --; title: Standards for evaluation of Custer --; title: Factors affecting Custer's performance --; title: Evaluation of Custer and the Seventh Cavalry at Little Big Horn --; title: The impact of Custer's defeat on the Cheyenne and Lakota Indians ---- Epilogue.