President William McKinley wanted to avoid war with Spain, but the sinking of the USS Maine 125 years ago forced his hand and his native Ohio responded
On June 25, 1876, one of America s most iconic historical events took place when General George A. Custer, with five companies of the 7th Calvary, was wiped out on a rise above the Little Big Horn River. The news was received with shock by a nation ready to celebrate the centennial of its independence. How could this have happened since no white man survived the battle to perhaps the most celebrated and daring Union general of the Civil War?