"Custer's Last Stand"

Definition

"Custer's Last Stand" is another name for the Battle of Little Bighorn, named after Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer who led his troops into a disastrous defeat against Native American forces.

Analogy

Think about a famous quarterback throwing an interception on what could have been a game-winning drive. That's kind of like "Custer's Last Stand" - it was a high-stakes situation that ended disastrously for Custer and his men.

Related terms

Great Sioux War: A series of battles and negotiations which occurred between 1876 and 1877 involving Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne against the United States, as part of the western Indian Wars.

Indian Wars: Conflicts between European governments or colonists and indigenous peoples in North America from the time of earliest colonial settlement until approximately 1890.

Manifest Destiny: The 19th-century doctrine or belief that expansion across the continent was justified and inevitable, often used to justify conflicts with Native Americans.