June 25, 1876, a date which shall live in infamy. Depends on whom you support. Did Custer have it coming?

Arrogance, hubris and disregarding his own Intel and ground truth. His splitting of his force with Reno and Benteen led to degragradation of unity and effort.

It's hard to determine if Reno and Brnteen's forces could have turned the tide or just supplied more scalps.

Custer was brave , audacious but egotistical and that was a bad mix against a foe who had been fighting on that terrain for centuries and may have been among the finest light cavalry organizations in the world.

Many of Custer's trroopers were armed with single shot weapons while the native Americans had repeating weapons. This led to a disparate ratio of fire and gave the NA the addition of time. Gen Sheridan's s strategy of annihilation certainly led to a strengthening of resolve.

Custer was an interesting leader. During the Civil War his brashness was actually Exulted. Commanders would praise him because a few times his wild charges saved people or lines from crumbling. If his leadership would have reeled him in during the Civil War, and instilled more Discipline instead of promoting his wild behavior would he have followed procedure more?

As far as the battle. Custer made mistakes, but I always wonder if Benteen and Reno could have made a difference if they had not delayed? But in the end it all falls on Custer. I see a leader who ignored sound advice, ignored his troops and pushed them to hard, and failed to make sound decision based on reliable information. When leadership fails, it can be disastrous.

He didn't listen to his scouts. He sent Benteen on a wild goose chase to get him out of the area where Custer anticipated glory in a great victory. He attacked before he had a clear tactical picture. He attacked using tactics that assumed his opponents wouldn't change their tactics...He was in command so yes