Custer's Anniversary

Today is the anniversary of Custer's last stand, more properly called the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

It's not a particularly memorable moment in history for me, but I noticed the historical reference to its 134th anniversary because, for some reason, my dad was always fascinated with this particular event. He was keen on visiting the battleground on a family vacation and I must have been underwhelmed, because I can't say I remember anything significant about that stop on the route. (We did a lot of family driving vacations through the Western U.S., as did many families in the 1960s and 70s. Today I would much rather fly.)

I can't attribute Dad's fascination with Custer to a family connection, either; it's unlikely his New York family (most of whom were born, lived and died within the city or at least county limits) had a member who fought in that dubious stand. I do remember him joking that Custer's last words were "Take no prisoners!" which I did not understand as a kid but as an adult realize it was an humorous example of the very definition of futility.

A member on the other side of the family had an artifact -- a Native American tomahawk -- that was purportedly from this battle. I remember seeing this old weapon as a kid, and we even got to take it to "show and tell." We all marveled at the dark stain on the blade that we were sure was blood, but who knows? It is hard to authenticate such things, although a cousin did some research to make the attempt.

So there you have it: Random history of the day, spurred by the "This Day in History" meme I put on my iGoogle page, provoking childhood memories. I'll have to tell Dad it's the anniversary of Custer's last stand . . . and I know he'll tell his joke.