The Battle of the Little Bighorn

What was the Battle of the Little Bighorn?

The Battle of the Little Bighorn took place at the Little Bighorn River, in Montana Territory.

Who fought in the Battle of the Little Bighorn?

The Battle of the Little Bighorn was fought between an alliance of Sioux, Cheyenne and some Arapaho, against the US Federal Army commanded by George Armstrong Custer.

When was the Battle of the Little Bighorn?

The Battle of the Little Bighorn took place on 25th and 26th June, 1876.

What caused the Battle of Little Bighorn?

There were 4 main reasons for the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

• ❖ In 1875, gold was discovered in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This led to an influx of gold miners, which broke the Second Fort Laramie Treaty. The US government did nothing to stop the prospectors.
• ❖ The US government offered to buy the Black Hills from the Sioux. As this was sacred land, the Sioux refused.
• ❖ In December 1875, Sioux and Cheyenne people refused an order from the US government to return to their reservations. Instead, they joined Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse in Montana.
• ❖ Some Sioux began attacking the miners and other settlers. The US Army was sent to the area to protect the settlers, and to force the Sioux and Cheyenne back to their reservations.

What happened at the Battle of the Little Bighorn?

There were several key events at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

• ❖ On 25th June, Custer discovered a Sioux village. He also spotted a nearby group of around forty warriors, and attacked them before they could alert the main party. However, Custer was unaware that the warriors in the village vastly outnumbered his force.
• ❖ The Sioux and Cheyenne crossed the river together, meeting the advancing soldiers and forcing them back. At the same time another force, commanded by Crazy Horse, surrounded Custer and his men. They began the attack with heavy gun- and arrow-fire.
• ❖ As the Native Americans closed in on Custer, he ordered his men to shoot their horses, and stack their bodies up to form a protective barrier. This, however, did little to protect his troops from the enemy bullets.
• ❖ Custer and his men were killed in less than an hour. It was the worst military disaster America had seen.

Why was Custer defeated at the Battle of the Little Bighorn?

There were 9 key reasons for the defeat of Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

• ❖ Custer was arrogant and over-confident. He wanted a victory to bolster his political ambitions (as he was considering running for president).
• ❖ Even though he was told to wait for support, Custer ignored orders and acted alone.
• ❖ Custer force-marched his men through the mountains, instead of going around them. By the time he arrived, his troops and their horses were exhausted.
• ❖ Custer divided his force into three groups. Although this was a standard US Army tactic, it weakened his already outnumbered force.
• ❖ Custer did not know how big the Sioux army was, or how well armed the warriors were. He had poor and incorrect information.
• ❖ He was vastly outnumbered. There were up to 1,500 Sioux warriors against around 250 US troops.
• ❖ He expected the Sioux to scatter and run. Instead, they outmanoeuvred and surrounded him.
• ❖ Crazy Horse and other Sioux leaders were talented and experienced commanders.
• ❖ The Sioux fought with determination and desperation, as they regarded the battle as their last chance to defeat the US.

Why was the Battle of Little Bighorn important?

Little Bighorn showed the Native Americans' power: they had achieved their greatest victory. However, outraged over the death of a popular Civil War leader, the US government fought back.

What were the consequences of the Battle of the Little Bighorn?

Despite their victory, the Battle of Little Bighorn had 5 main consequences for the Sioux nations and Plains Indians as a whole.

• ❖ Once news spread that more than 250 US soldiers had been killed by the Sioux, public opinion quickly turned against the Native Americans.
• ❖ Plains Indians had to stay on their reservations. Any found outside their reservations were pursued by the army and killed. By the early 1880s, almost all Cheyenne and Sioux were confined to reservations, totally dependent on the US government for food and shelter.
• ❖ Previous treaties were now ignored. The government decided that Native Americans had forfeited the rights to have any special treatment, and started to eliminate Native American culture.
• ❖ The Sioux were forced to sell the Black Hills, and their reservations were split up.
• ❖ To prevent any future Sioux attacks their weapons and horses were taken. New forts were built, and the number of soldiers in the area increased.