2008 - "24 Hours to Little Bighorn "

Image Size: 12" x 22"

He had rode his troops hard again today...and he thought about this for a moment as he watched the men of the Seventh Cavalry prepare the camp for the night.  They were tired and he could hear their complaints.  Maybe another 50 miles to the Sioux stronghold he thought.  They would be there tomorrow.  He was damn sure of that.  He gazed upon the faces of his hardened soldiers...it would be a day that some of his boys would not be writing home.   He folded the orders and tucked them in his vest pocket.  They all read the same.  He knew what needed to get done.... That's why they sent the Seventh.

Deep inside...beyond the arrogance...beyond his thrill of battle...you could find an officer that could lead in the face of death and change the course of history. 

He wondered how long it had been since he were home.  Even here in the beauty of Montana, he felt an emptiness that he could not shake.  This was not a time of sentiment and he regained his vision of the task at hand.  We will ride into destiny...with the last 24 hours to Little Bighorn.  Nowit was time to eat.

Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer would lose his life in the Battle of Little Bighorn on June 25th, 1876.

This painting was created from photos taken by the Artist in Tombstone, Arizona.