The defeat of Colonel George A. Custer and his cavalry detachment by a large force of Native Americans at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. Custer had been pursuing a group of Sioux, led by Sitting Bull, who had risen in arms against settlement of the country. Custer foolishly underestimated the size and ability of the Sioux forces, who were supported by Cheyenne warriors. Custer and all of the soldiers in his column were killed.
| custer's last stand | |
noun | |
| a battle in Montana near the Little Bighorn River between United States cavalry under Custer and several groups of Native Americans (1876); Custer was pursuing Sioux led by Sitting Bull; Custer underestimated the size of the Sioux forces (which were supported by Cheyenne warriors) and was killed along with all his command [syn: Little Bighorn] |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |