Custer was a complicated historical character, who was neither the baby killing coward which PC historians paint him to be, nor was he a heroic martyr as he is painted by some romantic historians.
His good points were that he was rightfully contemptuous of the U.S. Grant administration's policies which sought to placate the Sioux and other more aggressive tribes at the expense of the Mandan, Hidatsa and other peaceful tribes who had been decimated by Siouxian aggression.
On the other hand, he made little attempt to distinguish between the warlike aggressive Sioux tribes who had precipitated the Minnesota Massacres of 1862 and those who had merely been passive participants spurred on by starvation conditions of corrupt Indian agents or even refused to participate at all and greatly mitigated what would have been a far higher toll of Minnesota settlers by warning them and getting them out of harm's way.
To Custer, all Sioux and her allies were the enemy, including women and children. This clouded his judgment. He also made the tactical mistake of not waiting for his full force to group before launching his ill-fated attack at Little Big Horn.
Sitting Bull himself eventually was persuaded to lay down his arms and landed a gig at Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. This would never have happened had he been the bloodthirsty savage that many at the time sought to portray him.
Sadly, he had a tragic end being killed at Wounded Knee some 14 years after Little Big Horn while leading a peaceful protest against BIA police.
***Sadly, he had a tragic end being killed at Wounded Knee some 14 years after Little Big Horn while leading a peaceful protest against BIA police.***
Killed by a Sioux Indian policeman, one of his own.