Nathaniel Philbrick on Little Bighorn

Taking a fresh look at Custer, Sitting Bull, and Little Bighorn. We speak with historian and best-selling author Nathaniel Philbrick.

July, 1876, the United States was deep in celebration of the century since its birth.

There were big Independence Day parades and glorious speeches.

And then, on July 7^th, 1876 – shocking news from the Western frontier reached the public: America’s most famous Indian fighter, and all his men, had been defeated – slaughtered – at the Little Big Horn.

The Lakota Sioux’s Sitting Bull was the victor. George Armstrong Custer, the vanquished.

And Custer’s Last Stand became core American lore.

This Hour, On Point: historian Nathaniel Philbrick goes back to the Little Big Horn.Guests:
Nathaniel Philbrick, author of "The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn." You can read an excerpt here.  Also author of "Mayflower," and "In the Heart of the Sea."

Ernie LaPointe, great-grandson of Sitting Bull.  Author of "Sitting Bull, his Life and Legacy."  You can read an excerpt here.

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