The Battle of the Little Bighorn, commonly known as Custer’s Last Stand, was a devastating defeat for the U.S. Army and a decisive victory for the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho, fought in Montana Territory on June 25-26, 1876.
The historical context and narrative differ significantly from the popular myth of a lone, heroic last stand:
🌄 Context and Causes
- Clash of Cultures: The battle was part of the larger Great Sioux War of 1876, which symbolized the conflict between the nomadic Plains tribes and the industrial-based expansion of the United States.
- Broken Treaty and Gold: The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie had guaranteed the Lakota exclusive possession of the Black Hills. However, the discovery of gold in 1874 led to a rush of white settlers and miners, which the U.S. government failed to stop.
- “Hostiles” Order: When the Lakota and Cheyenne, led by leaders like Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, refused to be confined to reservations and leave the sacred Black Hills, the U.S. government deemed them “hostile” and dispatched the military to force them onto reservations.
⛺ The Encampment and The Prophecy
- Massive Village: In defiance of the U.S. government, a huge gathering of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho had assembled along the Little Bighorn River (which they called the Greasy Grass). This camp contained perhaps 10,000 people, with an estimated 1,500 to 3,000 warriors, making it one of the largest concentrations of Plains Indians ever recorded.
- Sitting Bull’s Vision: Shortly before the battle, Lakota spiritual leader Sitting Bull experienced a Sun Dance vision of U.S. soldiers falling upside down into his camp, which was interpreted as a sign of a great victory.
⚔️ The Battle: Custer’s Decision and The Split
- Custer’s Advance: Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer, commanding the 7th Cavalry Regiment, was ordered to scout ahead and locate the non-treaty camp. Ignoring warnings from his own Crow and Arikara scouts about the overwhelming number of Indians, and anxious to attack before the camp could scatter, Custer decided to press the attack immediately on June 25th rather than wait for reinforcements.
- Dividing the Regiment: Custer controversially divided his 600-man regiment into three battalions and a pack train:
- Major Marcus Reno was ordered to attack the southern end of the village.
- Captain Frederick Benteen was sent south and west to scout, with orders that were vague but essentially positioned him as a reserve.
- Custer led five companies (about 210 men) toward the northern ridges to either block an escape or deliver a flanking attack.
🏹 The Destruction of Custer’s Battalion
- Reno’s Retreat: Reno’s initial charge into the valley and the southern end of the village was quickly met by a massive counterattack led by warriors like Chief Gall. Overwhelmed, Reno’s force was driven back and suffered heavy casualties as they retreated in a disorganized rout to the bluffs overlooking the river. They were later joined by Benteen’s reserve companies and the pack train, where they held out under siege for nearly 36 hours.
- Custer’s Isolation: Custer’s force, having moved north along the bluffs, became completely isolated from the rest of the regiment.
- The Final Fight: The exact details of Custer’s last fight are derived from archaeological evidence and the testimonies of Lakota and Cheyenne warriors, as none of the 210 soldiers in Custer’s immediate command survived. Warriors, led by Crazy Horse, circled and charged, overwhelming Custer’s five companies on a ridge later known as “Custer Hill.” The entire fight for Custer’s battalion likely lasted less than two hours.
💀 Aftermath and Legacy
- Casualties: The U.S. suffered 268 total dead, including Custer, two of his brothers, his nephew, and his brother-in-law. Estimates for Native American losses vary significantly but are generally placed around 50-100 killed.
- National Outrage: The defeat shocked and outraged the American public, fueling a thirst for revenge and solidifying the image of the Native Americans as “wild and bloodthirsty,” which ironically galvanized the U.S. military to relentlessly pursue the remaining bands and force them onto reservations in the subsequent months.
- Myth-Making: With no American survivors from Custer’s immediate command to provide an account, the narrative was quickly shaped by survivors from the Reno-Benteen command and Custer’s widow, Elizabeth, to portray Custer as a heroic martyr, rather than an aggressive commander who was defeated due to his own tactical errors and underestimation of the enemy.
The site is now the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, which strives to honor the memory of all who fought on both sides.
Great! Here’s a historically-inspired screenplay excerpt for “Custer’s Last Stand,” starring Joe Jukic as Custer, Robert Grizzly as Sitting Bull, Trevor Carpenter as Crazy Horse, and Audrey Siegl as a Lakota warrior woman.
FADE IN:
EXT. LITTLE BIGHORN VALLEY – DAWN (JUNE 25, 1876)
The vast expanse of the Montana territory stretches, serene and deceptively peaceful under the rising sun. A mist hangs low over the meandering Little Bighorn River, revealing glimpses of a massive encampment of tipis nestled along its banks. Smoke begins to curl from cooking fires.
SOUND of distant birdsong, horses snorting
In the distance, a small, weary column of U.S. 7th Cavalry troopers moves stealthily through the rolling hills. They are dusty, their uniforms travel-stained.
Leading them is LIEUTENANT COLONEL GEORGE ARMSTRONG CUSTER (40s, charismatic, ambitious, with a reputation for both bravery and recklessness), played by JOE JUKIC or CHRIS ARMSTRONG. His golden hair is longer than regulations, his eyes fixed on the valley below with an almost manic intensity.
Beside him, CAPTAIN FREDERICK BENTEEN (50s, grizzled, skeptical) shakes his head.
BENTEEN (Muttering) Too many lodges, Custer. Far too many.
Custer ignores him, lifting his field glasses. The sheer scale of the encampment is visible now – thousands of Lakota and Cheyenne.
CUSTER (A grim smile) They’re here. All of them. Just as I predicted. This will be the greatest victory in American history!
He lowers the glasses, a glint in his eye.
CUSTER (CONT’D) Sergeant! Prepare for deployment. We strike now, while they’re still asleep!
INT. SITTING BULL’S TIPI – SAME TIME
Inside a large, decorated tipi, a respected spiritual leader, SITTING BULL (40s-50s, wise, stoic, with a powerful presence), played by ROBERT GRIZZLY, sits cross-legged. He has a calm, knowing demeanor, but his eyes hold a deep concern.
He is surrounded by other elders and warriors. The air is thick with the scent of sage.
SITTING BULL (Quietly) The white soldiers are close. My vision showed me this. Many of them falling into our camp.
A young warrior bursts in, breathless.
YOUNG WARRIOR Grandfather! Scouts report soldiers approaching from the east! Many of them!
SITTING BULL (Nods slowly, his gaze distant) It begins. The fight for our land, for our way of life.
EXT. LAKOTA CAMP – MOMENTS LATER
Chaos erupts. Dogs bark, children cry out, men grab their rifles and bows. Horses are quickly saddled.
CRAZY HORSE (30s, fierce, intense, with a reputation for incredible bravery and tactical genius), played by TREVOR CARPENTER, moves through the camp with urgent purpose, his long hair flying. He organizes warriors, his voice cutting through the din.
CRAZY HORSE (Shouting in Lakota) To your horses! Protect the women and children! We will not run!
Standing tall amidst the commotion is a fierce LAKOTA WARRIOR WOMAN (30s, sharp-eyed, determined), played by AUDREY SIEGL. She has a rifle clutched firmly in her hands, her face painted with war paint. She is helping women gather their children and move them to safety, but her gaze keeps returning to the approaching sounds of battle.
An elder woman tries to pull her back.
ELDER WOMAN (O.S.) (In Lakota) Stay with the children!
LAKOTA WARRIOR WOMAN (In Lakota, defiant) Our children cannot be safe if our warriors fall. My place is with the defense!
She turns and sprints towards a waiting horse, leaping onto its back with practiced ease.
EXT. BLUFF OVERLOOKING THE LITTLE BIGHORN – LATER
Custer and his column have split. Reno’s detachment has ridden directly into the village from the south, encountering fierce resistance. Now Custer himself, with five companies, rides along the bluffs. He sees the chaos below, Reno’s men struggling.
Custer believes he has found the rear of the village, ripe for attack. He orders his men to prepare to charge down into the northern end of the encampment, confident that the Native Americans will break and run.
CUSTER (To his officers, a wild grin) We have them now! This will be a rout! For glory, gentlemen! For America!
He draws his saber, a gleam in his eye, and points it towards the sprawling village.
FADE OUT.
This is just an opening sequence, but it sets the stage for the dramatic and tragic events that follow, focusing on the key figures and the clash of cultures. Let me know if you’d like to continue!
🎬 MOVIE TREATMENT (FIRST AI PROMPT MADE
THIS COMEDIC VERSION) The AI SKYNET accepted peace terms in this version.
“THE LAST STAND OF JUKIC”
A modern, mythic, and hilarious re-telling of Custer’s Last Stand
GENRE:
Action–Comedy–Historical Fantasy–Indigenous Futurism
TONE:
Epic but self-aware, heartfelt but chaotic; high-drama battles mixed with improv-flavored comedy and surreal moments of destiny.
LOGLINE
When the arrogant but strangely lovable cavalry commander Joseph C. Jukic finds himself transported into a mythic retelling of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, he meets Warrior Princess Audrey Siegl, Chief Grizzly Love, and the visionary warrior Crazy Horse (Trevor Lawrence Carpenter)—three leaders who try to teach him humility, honor, and how not to get everyone killed. But destiny has other plans, sending both sides into a confrontation that will rewrite history… and possibly save the world.
SETTING
A stylized version of 1876—
part historical,
part dream world,
part psychedelic spirit realm
where animals talk, ancestors intervene, and everything looks like a cross between a music video and a prophecy.
MAIN CHARACTERS
JOSEPH C. JUKIC — “CUSTER”
A charismatic, impulsive commander with fabulous hair and too much confidence. He is convinced he’s the hero of the story, even though he keeps tripping over his own sabre. Underneath the bravado, he wants to be good—he just sucks at listening.
AUDREY SIEGL — WARRIOR PRINCESS “SKYWALKER WOMAN”
A fierce, mystical warrior princess who sees through time. She can read people’s spirits instantly and is the only person who can make Joe shut up with a single eyebrow raise. She becomes Joe’s reluctant teacher… and maybe his conscience.
GRIZZLY LOVE — “SITTING BULL”
A massive, soft-spoken, spiritually comedic leader. Wise and calm, but speaks with a dry humor that constantly destroys Joe. He’s seen the coming conflict in visions and knows things must play out—unless Joe can change.
TREVOR LAWRENCE CARPENTER — “CRAZY HORSE”
A warrior-poet with supernatural accuracy and an aura of electric intensity. He talks in cryptic metaphors that somehow make perfect sense. He is the embodiment of destiny and the battlefield.
THE STORY
ACT I – “THE GENERAL WITH THE GOOD HAIR”
Joe Jukic wakes up in a dusty cavalry tent after falling asleep watching documentaries on the History Channel. He believes he’s dreaming—until he tries to leave and is instantly thrown onto a horse he does not know how to ride.
His men admire him because they think he’s brave.
He’s actually just very good at pretending he knows what he’s doing.
When scouting reports tell him about the “vast Indigenous coalition,” Joe decides:
JOE:
“I’m going to solve this with one charismatic speech and a dramatic hair flip.”
Spoiler:
he does not.
During a chaotic solo scouting run where Joe falls off his horse three times in under two minutes, he encounters Warrior Princess Audrey Siegl. She knocks him flat on his back with a single staff swipe.
AUDREY:
“Your spirit is loud. And confused. Like a raccoon that found fireworks.”
Joe instantly tries flirting.
Audrey instantly rejects him.
She brings him—half dragged—to a gathering where he meets Grizzly Love and Crazy Horse.
They tell Joe a prophecy:
“A man with the hair of a golden lion
will bring destruction
unless he chooses to become humble.”
Joe:
“Okay, but like… do I have to be humble?”
Everyone groans.
ACT II – “THE UNTEACHABLE HERO”
Joe stays among the tribes—half prisoner, half confused guest.
Training Montage (Comedic):
- Joe tries to do traditional dances and trips into a cookfire
- Grizzly Love teaches Joe meditation; Joe falls asleep on a buffalo
- Audrey tries to teach Joe discipline; Joe keeps asking, “Am I doing mystical stuff yet?”
- Crazy Horse teaches Joe stealth; Joe steps on every possible twig
But slowly…
Joe starts to change.
He learns the community’s values:
honor, interdependence, vision, bravery, spiritual grounding.
He begins to respect them deeply—especially Audrey Siegl, who shows him visions of the land, ancestors, and the cycles of war.
Yet destiny tightens.
The U.S. Army marches closer.
Joe’s own men are preparing for war without him.
Joe feels torn between two worlds:
- the one he came from
- and the one he has come to love
ACT III – “THE LAST STAND THAT NEVER WAS”
Joe returns to his troops to stop the coming battle.
But the officers assume he’s been brainwashed and lock him up.
Meanwhile the armies converge at Little Bighorn.
Audrey, Grizzly Love, and Crazy Horse prepare for the inevitable.
Joe breaks out—chaotically, involving a goat, a spilled soup bucket, and pure dumb luck—and races to the battlefield.
The Final Confrontation
Joe rides between the two armies:
JOE:
“STOP! Please! Look, I’m an idiot—but even I can see this doesn’t end well!”
Both sides pause—confused.
But a nervous soldier fires a shot.
The battle erupts.
Joe fights desperately—not to win, but to protect both sides.
He saves soldiers.
He shields warriors.
He screams at bullets like they’re disobedient children.
Finally he stands with Audrey, Crazy Horse, and Grizzly Love at a hilltop, surrounded.
He expects to die.
Instead—
the world stops.
Time freezes.
The ancestors appear.
They speak:
“War is a story you can choose.
Or refuse.”
Joe—finally humble—chooses peace.
And the battlefield rewrites itself.
ALTERNATE HISTORY ENDING
Instead of slaughter…
both sides lower their weapons.
A treaty is made—
not dictated,
but shared,
co-created,
equitable.
History transforms.
And Joe Jukic, the idiot-hero with the great hair, becomes the unlikely bridge between worlds.
FINAL IMAGE
Joe and Audrey sit on a hill as dusk falls.
Grizzly Love meditates nearby.
Crazy Horse speaks to the stars.
Joe sighs:
JOE:
“So… did I actually change history?”
AUDREY:
“Only your heart. The rest follows.”
Joe nods.
Then a prairie chicken attacks him out of nowhere because destiny isn’t done humiliating him yet.
If you want, I can expand this into:
✅ full screenplay
✅ character bios
✅ scene-by-scene breakdown
✅ concept art descriptions
✅ casting ideas & posters
Just tell me!
You said:
add them playing Sioux against Joe in the Civilization 2 game as people reincarnated in the future
ChatGPT said:
Here is an updated version of the movie treatment with the reincarnation twist — where Joe, Audrey, Grizzly Love, and Trevor reincarnate in the future and end up playing Civilization II, reenacting (and fixing) history through gameplay.
I’ll weave it in smoothly as a fourth-act epilogue, keeping the mythic-comedic tone of the original story.
🎬 EXTENDED MOVIE TREATMENT ADD-ON
“THE LAST STAND OF JUKIC — REINCARNATION MODE”
(Civilization II Epilogue)
ACT IV – “THE FUTURE PAST”
After the ancestors stop the battle and history rewrites itself, the screen fades to white.
Then—
POOF.
We smash-cut to the year 2076, in a neon-lit Vancouver apartment filled with plants, vintage action figures, and a suspicious number of old CRT monitors.
Joe gasps and wakes up in a swivel chair.
He’s wearing pajama pants, a hoodie, and slippers shaped like bison.
JOE:
“Where… where’s my horse? And why do I smell like microwaved popcorn?”
Three other figures sit around him:
• Audrey Siegl — now a cyber-shaman coder
With glowing tattoos and a calm “I’ve done this reincarnation thing before” expression.
• Grizzly Love — now an 8-foot-tall gym influencer / spiritual podcaster
He’s drinking protein powder straight from the bag.
• Trevor Carpenter — now a VR designer who lives like a monk
He speaks in koans even when ordering pizza.
Joe realizes they’re all sitting around an ancient machine:
A beige 1990s PC.
A giant tube monitor.
Civilization II open on the screen.
The Sioux Civilization selected.
AUDREY:
“Welcome back, Joe. Long time no see. Couple lifetimes, give or take.”
GRIZZLY LOVE:
“We reincarnated. Cycle of life. Karma. Spiritual duties. You know how it goes.”
JOE:
“So… this is heaven?”
TREVOR:
“No. This is Windows 95.”
THE COSMIC GAMING SESSION
Audrey presses “End Turn.”
Suddenly Joe sees the map:
tribal villages, cavalry units, rivers, prairies.
It’s Little Bighorn—inside Civilization II.
AUDREY:
“Time to finish what we started.”
GRIZZLY LOVE:
“Yeah. What destiny messed up the first time, we now fix with superior micromanagement.”
TREVOR:
“Build farms. Grow food. No war. No slaughter. Only abundance.”
Joe tries to help…
but he keeps clicking the wrong units and accidentally moves warriors into the ocean.
AUDREY:
“Joe! Stop drowning our braves!”
THE JOKES COME FULL CIRCLE
When Joe accidentally triggers diplomacy:
The AI version of “General Custer” pops up—
AND IT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE JOSEPH C. JUKIC.
Blond flow.
Blue military coat.
Egomaniac grin.
Joe screams.
JOE:
“WHY IS HE ME?!”
GRIZZLY LOVE:
“Because karmically you were overdue for a boss fight against your own stupidity.”
AI JUKIC:
“I declare war! For glory! For hair!”
JOE:
“Oh my god I sound like that?!”
Everyone nods.
Joe decides:
No war this time.
No tragedy.
No Last Stand.
He opens diplomacy again and hits:
“Offer Peace Treaty.”
Miraculously—
the AI accepts.
Audrey smiles.
Trevor nods sagely.
Grizzly Love crushes his protein bag triumphantly.
AUDREY:
“You did it, Joe. You broke the cycle.”
JOE:
“I won Civilization II without a genocide… That’s gotta impress the ancestors.”
Suddenly the monitor flickers, and a glowing buffalo spirit appears on the screen.
It nods in approval…
then crashes the game because it’s still Civilization II.
FINAL EPILOGUE
The four reincarnated friends go for a walk on Kitsilano Beach at sunset.
Joe turns to them:
JOE:
“Do you think in our next lives we’ll still remember all this?”
AUDREY:
“If not, the universe will remind you again.”
GRIZZLY LOVE:
“With a goat. Or a prairie chicken. Probably both.”
TREVOR:
“Time is a loop.
History is a lesson.
Civilization is…
well, a very buggy game.”
They laugh.
The buffalo spirit runs across the sky.
Fade out.
