The Battle of the Little Bighorn

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 by General George Armstrong Custer. The Native American tribes that defeated the 7TH Cavalry were led by Sitting Bull of the Hunkpapa Sioux. The battle that occurred at the Black Hills of South Dakota was a result of looking for the prospect of gold in the area2.

History:

To understand the battle of Little Big Horn and the decisions made on the battlefield, one must first understand the leaders that commanded both the 7TH Cavalry and the informal leaders of the Native American tribes. We must also know about the events that led up to the infamous Battle of Little Big Horn.

First, we will discuss General George Armstrong Custer who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York in the last of his class in 18613. To his benefit, the Civil War had just begun and the need for trained officers was paramount at the time. Custer was first commissioned as a second lieutenant and assigned to the 2ND Cavalry Regiment where he performed duties as a runner during the first Battle...

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...uch different. The Sioux were very well prepared due to the research conducted by Sitting Bull as he talked to the migrating tribes who informed him of how the whites operated. The Indians were perceived to be an inferior foe, however through preparation and intelligence gathering they decimated the 7TH Cavalry and General Custer.

Works Cited

1. First Lieutenant, Burns, Matthew J., “Revisiting the Battle of Little Big Horn”, ( Master’s Thesis, Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey CA, 93943-5000, December 2000)

2. Hickman, Kennedy, “Indian Wars: Lt. Colonel George A. Custer”, Military History.com, http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/1800sarmybiographies/p/custer.htm

3. Lieutenant Colonel Lavine, Michael J., “Sitting Bull: Great Commander and Strategist – or Savage?”, (National War College, 300 5TH Avenue, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, DC, 20319-6000, 1996)