| Did Buffalo Calf Road
deliver the final blow before Custer died?
Since Buffalo Calf Road Woman went to press,
a controversy has burst onto the scene. On June 28,
2005, at a public gathering in Helena, Montana, the
Northern Cheyenne revealed that they were at last
prepared to break a vow of silence called by tribal
leaders after the Battle of the Little Bighorn and
reveal their story of what actually happened during
the battle.
At that time they made the startling revelation that
Buffalo Calf Road (also known as Buffalo Calf Trail
Woman) was responsible for delivering the final blow
to Custer, knocking him from his horse before he
died. Since the revelation, internet forums devoted
to the Battle of the Little Bighorn and George
Armstrong Custer have been vigorously debating the
controversy.
The Northern Cheyenne are now working on oral
history accounts of the battle which they hope to
make public later in the year.
The controversy is not likely to be resolved anytime
soon, but the authors of Buffalo Calf Road Woman
have great respect for the oral traditions of
history. At this point, there is nothing
incompatible between much of what we know about the
battle (although accounts sometimes conflict) and
this claim that Buffalo Calf Road struck the final
blow to Custer just before he died.
However this controversy plays out in the months and
years ahead, it is now possible to read the story,
never before fully told, of the only woman to fight
Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn - Buffalo
Calf Road Woman.
For more on the controversy see the
Helena Independent Record account
You may also want to visit the following forums:
www.lbha.org under
"New Version of Custer's Last Stand"
www.delphiforums.com under "An Interesting
Twist" in the Battle of the Little Bighorn forum.
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