When most Americans think about American Indians in November, it's probably as part of Thanksgiving pageantry: the Wampanoags who gave the hapless Pilgrims food during their first winter at Plymouth and taught them how to grow corn the following spring, the ninety Indians who attended the "first Thanksgiving" feast in 1621. You may not know that, ever since 1990, November has officially been "Native American Heritage Month" in the United States, a time to recognize "the rich ancestry and traditions" of the nation's first inhabitants. But Jeopardy!'s Ken Jennings has some reservations about the accuracy of our Native American knowledge. It's never too late to set the record straight!
The Debunker: Did All of Custer's Men Die at Little Bighorn?
It's hard to say anything about the 1876 U.S. cavalry defeat at Little Bighorn without running afoul of history. General Custer (bzzz!) with his trademark flowing blond hair (bzzz!) led his troops into battle with Sitting Bull's Sioux, only to have his entire 7th Cavalry wiped out (bzzz!) by a Sioux ambush (bzzz!). That's four strikes already.
Custer was actually a lieutenant colonel at the time of his fatal "Last Stand," since his wartime promotion to major general only lasted until his volunteer regiment was mustered out at the end of the Civil War. He had cut his famous blonde curls shortly before the battle, though the Sioux still called him "Long Hair." And there was no clever Sioux ambush—Sitting Bull was caught unawares when Custer's men stormed the village.
Most surprising of all, over half of the U.S. cavalrymen survived the battle. What, you thought it was just that one horse? Comanche? Here's the source of the misunderstanding: on the morning of the battle Custer had divided his troops into three different battalions, placing one under Major Marcus Reno and another under Captain Frederick Banteen—though Custer was still in command of the whole 7th Cavalry. Yes, the five companies who rode with Custer were completely wiped out—the famous "Last Stand." (One possible exception: a man named Frank Finkel who went to his grave in 1930 claiming to be the lone survivor of Custer's Company C, which some historians believe.) But the majority of the soldiers who fought on the losing side—over three hundred men—survived on different fronts of the battle under Reno and Banteen. The last survivor of the battle on either side was a Lakota man named Dewey Beard—"Iron Hail" in his youth—who was also the last survivor of the Wounded Knee massacre when he died in 1955 at the age of 96.
Quick Quiz: What actor played Custer in 1941's They Died with Their Boots On, the eighth and final film he made starring opposite Olivia de Havilland?
Ken Jennings is the author of eleven books, most recently his Junior Genius Guides, Because I Said So!, and Maphead. He's also the proud owner of an underwhelming Bag o' Crap. Follow him at ken-jennings.com or on Twitter as @KenJennings.