In a recent box in The Sun's Health & Style section, mention was made that on June 25, 1876 "Lt. Col. George Custer and his 7th Cavalry were massacred by Sioux and Cheyenne Indians" ("Today in History," June 25).
Since it was Custer and his troops who searched out and attacked the peacefully encamped Indians without warning, how can that be considered a "massacre?" The soldiers were trying to kill the Indians, who were defending themselves.
In other instances, when U.S. troops attacked and killed Indian men, women and children on numerous occasions, they are often called "battles," when nothing could be further from the truth.
These subtle descriptive differences are just one way history is distorted, and we should not let them pass without comment and correction.
Larry Carson, Columbia