Battle of Little Bighorn

George Armstrong Custer/The Battle Of Little Bighorn/Custer's Last Stand - Authentic, found, brass U.S. Military issue accouterment attributed to The Battle of Little Bighorn.

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, commonly referred to as "Custer's Last Stand," was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes, against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. The battle, which occurred on June 25–26, 1876, near the Little Bighorn River in eastern Montana Territory, was the most prominent action of the Great Sioux War of 1876. It was an overwhelming victory for the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho, led by several major war leaders, including Crazy Horse and Chief Gall, inspired by the visions of Sitting Bull. The U.S. Seventh Cavalry, including the Custer Battalion, a force of 700 men led by George Armstrong Custer, suffered a severe defeat. Five of the Seventh Cavalry's companies were annihilated and Custer was killed.

Authentic, found, brass U.S. Military issue accouterment attributed to The Battle of Little Bighorn. This piece, from a uniform of a soldier or other equipment standard in the U.S. Seventh Cavalry, is from the fabled collection formed by Stephen B. Reed, the longest serving Mayor of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; his term lasting from 1982-2010. This piece, part of Reed's collection assembled in the 1990s, was intended for inclusion in the National Museum of the Old West that was to be housed in the Pennsylvania State Capital. In 2003, Reed announced his plans for the museum, but unfortunately budgetary concerns prevented it from opening and necessitated the breaking up and selling of the collection.

The original brass relic, measuring approximately 1.5 x 1.5 inches, is in its original "found" condition, considered museum ready and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity from JG Autographs Inc. as well as a second COA from the Mayor of Harrisburg, PA., Linda D. Thompson.