The Outrageousness of The Battle of Little Bighorn

On June 25, 1876, The Battle of Little Bighorn took place near the Black Hills in Montana. This was one of the most controversial battles of the 20th century and the line between good guys and bad guys was grey at best. Gen. George Armstrong Custer (reduced to LTC after the civil war) had 366 men of the 7thU.S. Cavalry under his command that day. Sitting Bull (A Medicine Man) led 2000 braves of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes (Klos, 2013). At the conclusion of the battle, the stories of the Indians savagery were used to demonize their culture and there were no survivors from the 7thcavalry to tell what really happened.

“The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. The battle, which occurred on June 25 and 26, 1876 near the Little Bighorn River in eastern Montana Territory, was the most famous action of the Great Sioux War of 1876.”i Was this battle led by a courageous General or a desperate man is search of being seen as an American hero by the eyes of America?

The Battle of the Little Bighorn by the EyeWitnesstoHistory.com thoroughly explained groups of different kinds of Indians had to leave their homeland and moved to a reservation land. Reservation land are lands that were given to Indians by the Whites. However in Sioux village, the Indians refused to leave their property and the only way to make them move was to start a battle or a war between them. George Custer ignores the order to wait and not attacked but, he

It held many struggles and disagreements, which lead to many retaliations, from both the Indians and the settlers. The Indians had been alliances with the white men until the massacre, which stated the settlers betrayal to all tribes.

The conflict that occurred between the U.S. Government and the Native American Indian tribes, known as the Great Sioux War. It was a lengthy, disjointed struggle between the U.S. Army and the allied tribes of the Teton Sioux and Northern Cheyenne Indians that occurred in the span of fifteen months between, March 1876 and May 18771. Hostilities between the U.S. Government and the Native American Indian tribes grew due to the movement of settlers on the land promised to them. The Northern Plains, which consist of the Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana, is where the majority of the war took place. The most prominent battle of this war was the Battle of Little Big Horn, due to the amount of casualties taken by the U.S. 7TH Cavalry led

Source C Textbook Entry About Little Bighorn, Source B: Kate Bighead Interview (modified), and Source A: Cameron Report (modified) were the most helpful to me. In Source C Textbook Entry About Little Bighorn would be the most helpful to find out why there was conflict between the US Army and the Lakota Sioux in the late 1800s because it gives facts about why the war was started. An example is “For years the Lakota Sioux conducted raids against white settlers who had moved into Sioux lands.The U.S. government ordered all Lakota Sioux to return to their reservation by January 31, 1876. They refused. The situation was turned over to the military." The second most helpful to me was the Source B: Kate Bighead Interview (modified) because it told

The natives felt strongly about the issue because Custer was attacking their homes. Now mind you these homes contained women and children, and the army had a custom of having no mercy. The army would kill every single person, including babies.

The Battle of Little Bighorn may have been a defeat but the brave men who became patriots that fought for their country will forever be named for their devotion. Those men gave their lives to save future generations. The men that would give their lives for ours should be honored for their bravery. We are the people they fought to save and for that we owe them our approval. They started their journey with the march.

With the settlement of the American West, I discern that it was not nice to force Native Americans off their land onto reservations. There was a treaty given to the Sioux for the rights to the Black Hills until gold was discovered in the area. The white miners flocked to the territory to get the gold. I don’t think it was right that with the treaty the U.S. government still ordered the Native Americans back to their reservations. With the conflict that occurred between the U.S. Government and the Native American Indian in Battle of the Little Bighorn, also called Custer’s Last Stand, marked a significant victory for the Native Americans and unfavorable for U.S. Army’s defeat. The Native Americans would have to remain in government-controlled reservations.

“Custer’s luck! The biggest Indian village on the continent!” Supposedly, these were the last words recorded to have been uttered by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer before the infamous battle that would claim his life and the lives of hundreds of soldiers (Dippie 2). Nearly a century and a half later, this conflict is immersed in just as much controversy as it was the day it occurred. The Battle of Little Bighorn and Custer’s Last Stand is perhaps more famous due to the difficulty of differentiating the myths versus the facts, rather than its actual historical significance in the 19th century. The different interpretations via historians, archaeologists, and Native Americans have contributed to the positive and negative versions of the battle that exist today. However, by understanding the basics, conflict, and research that surrounds the Battle of Little Bighorn and Custer’s Last Stand, one can form their own opinion and better interpret the ways in which it is portrayed in media and throughout time by interested persons and descendent communities.

In 1874 the US Army sent a force under Colonel Custer into South Dakota. When gold was discovered in the area, the federal government declared that all Sioux Indians not in reservations would have to be subjugated by Custer’s troops. Many Sioux refused to cooperate, and Custer began to attack. At the battle of Little Bighorn, in June 1876, Custer split his troops, and a larger force of Indians wiped out all of his men. After this defeat, the army took a different course by harassing the Sioux in attrition. Indians eventually lost the will to resist as these strategies were commonly successful against the Sioux. In the December of 1890, approximately 300 Indians were killed by US troops at Wounded Knee. This massacre was the indication to the end of Indian opposition. The Plains Indians were eventually conquered and forced into reservations.

In the south of central Montana during 1876 on June 25th and 26th, a battle happened known as the Battle of Little Bighorn or also known as “Custer’s Last Stand”. The Native American Tribes that were involved was the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes. They were battling against the 7th regiment of the US Cavalry which was led by Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer. In the year of 1868 Lakota leaders agreed to a treaty known as Fort Laramie Treaty which was suppose to give the Lakota leaders a large reservation for their tribes. But in accepting the treaty they also accepted giving up their nomadic lifestyles and agreed to a more stationary livelihood in the reservation. Some leaders like Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse did not agree

The Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876 was perhaps the greatest victory for the Native Americans against the white European settlers. The Battle of Little Bighorn is also known as Custer's Last Stand and it was a fight between the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. The Native Americans were led by "Crazy Horse" and "Sitting Bull," while the 7th Cavalry Regiment was led by General George Armstrong Custer. Custer's orders were to locate the Sioux camp in the Big Horn Mountains in Montana and wait for back up to arrive and help.

The events at Little Bighorn sparked shock and rage among the European population of North America. It caused many of the people to become fearful of the Indians. People began to question whether the government dealing with them in the correct manner, or whether they should use more force. They wanted revenge for the dealing at Little Bighorn, and they believed the Indians must pay with blood. In response to this, the government came down harder than ever on the Sioux populations. Shortly after Crazy Horse had surrendered, he was ordered to be killed. This was brought about by the white people’s fear over the influence that Crazy Horse had on the Sioux. They believed his presence in the agencies would spark an uprising that would lead to another war similar to Little Bighorn. Crazy Horse’s murder caused a large amount of discontent among the Sioux. Any tensions that had previously existed between the Sioux and the government instantly heightened. However, as their food supply

In early 1876, tension grew between the Indians and Americans due to territory control in the West. Indians occupied land that Americans wanted to have control of, but Indians considered their land sacred and were not willing to give it up without a fight. The fight to protect and keep their sacred land led to the Battle of Little Big Horn. Sitting Bull played a big role in the Battle of Little Big Horn because he was one of the chiefs that led the Indians. The video clip “A good day to die” mentions that Sitting Bull prayed to the gods asking for their help. Also, Sitting Bull had visions that showed him what was going to happen in their encounter with the American Army, which helped give the Indians faith that everything was going to end