Battle of the Little Bighorn:

The Fateful Day: Custer's Last Stand and the Battle of the Little Bighorn

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, fought on June 25, 1876, stands as one of the most iconic and thoroughly scrutinized events in American history. Often portrayed as "Custer's Last Stand," the engagement on the bluffs above the Little Bighorn River in southeastern Montana Territory resulted in the annihilation of five companies of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer by a coalition of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors. More than just a military defeat, the battle was a clash of cultures, a culmination of decades of westward expansion, broken treaties, and a desperate struggle for survival by Native American tribes. Its immediate aftermath sparked national outrage and intensified calls for retribution, while its enduring legacy continues to fuel debate and reevaluation of American frontier narratives.

The Seeds of Conflict

The roots of the Little Bighorn lay deep in the escalating tensions between the United States government and the Plains tribes, particularly the Lakota Sioux. The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 had ostensibly guaranteed the Lakota a vast tract of land, including the Black Hills, and hunting rights in unceded territory. However, the discovery of gold in the Black Hills in 1874, a violation of the treaty, triggered a massive influx of prospectors and settlers. This encroachment, coupled with the government's desire to confine the "non-treaty" Lakota and Cheyenne to reservations, set the stage for conflict. President Ulysses S. Grant's administration, facing economic depression and a desire to secure the Black Hills, issued an ultimatum in December 1875: all Lakota and Cheyenne not on reservations by January 31, 1876, would be considered "hostile." This impossible deadline, given the harsh winter conditions and the tribes' traditional nomadic lifestyle, ensured a military confrontation.

The Campaign and the Gathering Tribes

The U.S. Army devised a three-pronged campaign to converge on the perceived location of the "hostile" Indians. General Alfred Terry's column, including the 7th Cavalry, marched from Fort Abraham Lincoln in Dakota Territory. General George Crook advanced from Fort Fetterman in Wyoming Territory, and Colonel John Gibbon moved from Fort Ellis in Montana Territory. The ultimate goal was to force the tribes onto reservations. However, unknown to the military, the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and some Arapaho had gathered in an unprecedentedly large encampment along the Little Bighorn River. Led by influential figures such as Sitting Bull, a Hunkpapa Lakota holy man, and Crazy Horse, an Oglala Lakota warrior, the tribes had united in their determination to resist further encroachment and preserve their way of life. Sitting Bull’s spiritual vision of soldiers falling into his camp like grasshoppers further galvanized the warriors and instilled a sense of impending victory.

Custer's Gamble

On June 22, 1876, Terry detached Custer and the 7th Cavalry, instructing him to scout ahead and locate the Indian encampment. Custer's orders were to proceed up the Rosebud Creek, then west to the Little Bighorn, and to prevent the Indians from escaping south. Critically, Custer was given considerable latitude in executing these orders, a fact that would become a subject of intense scrutiny after the battle. Driven by ambition and a desire for glory, Custer pushed his troops relentlessly, covering significant distances in a short period. On the morning of June 25, his scouts discovered the enormous village in the Little Bighorn valley. Estimates of the village's size vary, but it was undoubtedly one of the largest concentrations of Native Americans ever assembled in one place, numbering several thousand people, including an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 warriors.

Despite knowing that Gibbon's column was expected to arrive the following day, Custer decided to attack immediately. His rationale for this hasty decision remains a subject of considerable debate among historians. Some argue he feared the village would scatter if he waited; others suggest an overconfidence born from past victories against Native American tribes. Regardless of his motivation, Custer divided his regiment into four battalions. Captain Frederick Benteen was sent south to scout for potential escapees and to engage any Indians he might find. Major Marcus Reno was ordered to charge directly into the south end of the village, while Custer himself, with five companies, rode north along the bluffs, presumably intending to strike the village from the north or to cut off an escape. Captain Thomas McDougall, with one company, was assigned to guard the pack train carrying ammunition.

Reno's Retreat and Custer's Annihilation

Reno’s attack was disastrous. As his battalion advanced, they were met by a fierce and overwhelming counterattack from hundreds of Lakota and Cheyenne warriors. Taken by surprise by the sheer numbers and ferocity of the defense, Reno's command quickly became disorganized and suffered heavy casualties. Under intense pressure, Reno ordered a retreat into the timber along the river, a move that some criticized as a panic-induced flight. The warriors, emboldened by their success, pursued Reno's men, who were forced to scramble up the bluffs to a defensible position, now known as Reno Hill. Here, they were soon joined by Benteen's battalion, who, having found no Indians to the south, had turned back after receiving an urgent message from Custer's adjutant, Captain Myles Keogh, to "Come on. Big village. Be quick. Bring packs." The combined forces of Reno and Benteen dug in and endured a desperate siege for the remainder of the day and into the next, facing relentless attacks from the warriors.

Meanwhile, Custer's five companies, riding north along the bluffs, were never seen alive again by their comrades. What precisely transpired on Custer Hill, where their bodies were later found, has been pieced together through archaeological evidence, Native American accounts, and forensic analysis. It appears Custer initially attempted to cross the river and attack the village but was repulsed by a strong force of warriors. He then withdrew to the ridge, likely hoping to establish a defensive position and await reinforcements from Reno or Benteen, or to draw the warriors into a fight on ground of his choosing. However, the unified and highly motivated Lakota and Cheyenne warriors, led by figures like Crazy Horse, Gall, and Lame White Man, surrounded Custer's command. The battle on Custer Hill was intense and brutal. The warriors, armed with a mix of firearms and traditional weapons, overwhelmed the cavalrymen from multiple directions. The terrain, with its ravines and ridges, offered little cover for the soldiers, who were reportedly outflanked and cut down in a relatively short period, perhaps less than an hour. The 7th Cavalry's tactics, which relied on mounted charges and firepower, proved ineffective against the numerically superior and tactically adept warriors fighting on their home ground. Every man in Custer's immediate command—approximately 210 soldiers, along with Custer himself, his two brothers, a nephew, and a brother-in-law—perished.

A Pyrrhic Victory and Lasting Legacy

The Native American victory at the Little Bighorn was a testament to their unity, their understanding of the terrain, and the exceptional leadership of their war chiefs. The warriors, fighting for their homes and their way of life, demonstrated remarkable courage and tactical prowess. The sheer size of their encampment, a product of their collective determination to resist, provided the numerical advantage that proved decisive. However, the victory was fleeting. When Gibbon's and Terry's columns finally arrived on June 27, they discovered the grim scene of devastation, particularly on Custer Hill. The news of the massacre sent shockwaves across the nation, fueling a public outcry for revenge and cementing Custer's image as a martyred hero.

In the immediate aftermath, the U.S. government redoubled its efforts to subdue the Plains tribes. The victory at Little Bighorn, while a moral booster for the Native Americans, ultimately marked a turning point in the Indian Wars, accelerating the demise of their traditional way of life. Over the next several years, the Lakota and Cheyenne, relentlessly pursued by the U.S. Army, were gradually forced onto reservations. Sitting Bull and his followers fled to Canada, only to return years later due to starvation and hardship. Crazy Horse was killed under suspicious circumstances in 1877. The Battle of the Little Bighorn became a symbol of Native American resistance, yet also a tragic reminder of the overwhelming power of the United States.

The historiography of the Little Bighorn is vast and contentious. Early accounts, heavily influenced by nationalist sentiment, often portrayed Custer as a tragic hero and the Native Americans as savage aggressors. However, subsequent scholarship, particularly from the latter half of the 20th century, has offered more nuanced perspectives. Historians such as Robert M. Utley have meticulously analyzed the military aspects of the battle, while others, like Mari Sandoz and Dee Brown, have brought Native American perspectives to the forefront, challenging prevailing narratives. The battle continues to be a subject of intense interest, with ongoing archaeological investigations and reinterpretations of evidence. The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument stands as a somber memorial to all who fought and died there, a place where the competing narratives of American expansion and Native American sovereignty continue to resonate.

Sources

Brown, Dee. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1970.

Connell, Evan S. Son of the Morning Star: Custer and the Little Bighorn. San Francisco: North Point Press, 1984.

Greene, Jerome A. Washita: The U.S. Army and the Southern Cheyennes, 1867–1869. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2004.

Lamar, Howard R. "George Armstrong Custer." In The New Encyclopedia of the American West, edited by Charles Philips, 221-223. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.

Ostler, Jeffrey. The Plains Sioux and U.S. Colonialism from Lewis and Clark to Wounded Knee. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.

Utley, Robert M. Custer: Cavalier in Fact and Legend. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001.