Well, the bottom line is that Custer was outmanned, outgunned, and outtacticalized (I made that word up)...
If I recall correctly, the 7th under Custer had single shot rifles, and some pistols - none of the new Gatlin guns, etc... while the Indians had many variations of weapons, with many having the repeating rifles (henrys, I believe, or something like that...) which they used to devestating effect...
That's pathetic