The Battle of Little Bighorn
In 1868, the US government signed the ‘Treaty of Fort Laramie’ with the Lakota Chief, Red cloud. It was agreed that the black hills were Lakota land, and that no white settlers would be allowed to go there as long as the grass should grow and the water flows.
Despite the treaty, in 1874, General George Armstrong Custer or ‘long hair’ led an expedition to the black hills. He discovered gold there. When the US government learned about this, they offered the Lakota tribe, money, in return of the land. However, the Lakota tribe asked for such a huge sum of money, that the US government refused.
The US government, not taking ‘no’ for an answer, ordered the Lakota tribe to move to a reservation. Some of them, under Red Cloud, agreed to move. Red cloud had agreed to move, because he saw how powerful, and how strong the weapons of the US were. Others, like Crazy Horse, and Sitting Bull, were prepared to fight for their lands.
A large group of Native Americans (consisting of Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes) gathered near Rosebud River.
Sitting Bull had a vision during the sun dance, which was held in June 1876. He believed that this meant that they would win the battle against the US soldiers.
So, the US government sent an army (led by General Crook, General Terry and Colonel Gibbon. General George A. Custer went with General Terry as commander of the 7th Cavalry.) to force the native Americans into the reservation.
Custer was ordered to find the Native Americans, but not to attack. They were to wait until the reinforcements came. Two Crow Indian scouts were sent ahead, to see what the situation was. They came back to warn Custer that there was a large amount of Native Americans by the Little Bighorn river. Custer ignored this warning, and carried out with his plan, which was to split his men into three groups, and attack from many sides.
So, Custer split his men into three groups, sending Captain Benteen with 115 troops to look for more ‘hostiles’, while Major Reno with 140 men to attack the Native Americans from the east, Custer and his men, were to attack from the north.
The Native Americans were closing in, so Custer ordered his men to shoot down the horses, and stack the carcasses to provide protection against the bullets. In less than an hour, Custer and his men were killed in the worst American military disaster ever. The only survivor was a horse, called Commanche.
Why was Custer defeated?
Custer lost for several reasons.
Tribes such as the Cheyenne, Sioux, Arapaho and others grouped together to defeat the Americans, resulting in thousands of Native Americans at the camp.
Custer, ignored orders and gave orders to attack, not realizing the lands he would have to cover to attack and not understanding the sheer number of Indians.
He was outnumbered, outfought, out thought and arrogant in his beliefs that he could easily kill ‘the savages’.
In the days after Custer’s defeat an army column led by General Terry arrived and went over the evidence on the scene.
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