Covers the entire career of General George Armstrong Custer (1839-76) and others of both sides in his last battle. Also includes such topics as related military campaigns, battles, historical events, equipment, terminology, the Plains Indians, relevant artists and their work, popular movies, and organizations. Many of the entries include bibliographies, some quite extensive. A chronology of the Civil War and Custer's military career is appended.

Includes index.

Introduction -- The encyclopedia -- Appendix: Custer Civil War chronology and battle summary. Illustrations: Custer's Last Fight / Cassily Adams -- Battle of Little Big Horn [Greasy Grass] / White Bird (Cheyenne) -- Custer with the first grizzly he killed, with Bloody Knife, Private Noonan, Captain William Ludlow / Illingworth -- Music to "Garry Owen," [Garryowen] -- Custer's last message -- "Lonesome Charley" Reynolds, 1874 -- Sioux American Horse, [William F.] "Buffalo Bill" Cody, Sioux warrior Red Cloud -- Sioux chief Spotted Eagle's hostile village, Tongue River, 1879 / L.A. Huffman. Maps: Black Hills in relation fo the Great Sioux Reservation -- Custer's route through the Black Hills -- Great Plains military posts -- Great Sioux Reservation -- Battle [s] of the Great Sioux War of 1876-1877 -- Little Bighorn Battlefield -- Sitting Bull's village on the Little Bighorn River -- 7th Cavalry battlefield approach -- The Battle of the Little Bighorn (known troop movements) -- The Battle of the Little Bighorn (Custer's probably route) -- Location of the 7th Cavalry officers' bodies -- The three-pronged column "pincer" battlefield approach -- The Reno-Benteen defense site -- Reno's valley fight.