Stepping away from celebrating our nation’s anniversary, it is important to recognize the anniversary of one of the most significant battles fought on American soil and arguably the most famous battle of the Indian Wars.
It was 150 years ago this week, on June 25 and 26, 1876, that Colonel George Armstrong Custer led the 7th Cavalry into eastern Montana to confront Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and their band of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors along the Little Bighorn River. What came out of the battle was a major victory for Native forces, but it is also a perfect example of winning the battle while ultimately losing the war. The defeat gave the U.S. Army the justification it needed to launch a much more aggressive campaign against Native peoples, including a scorched-earth policy designed to break their resistance.
From the beginning, the United States’ Indian policy was based largely on separation and removal. Early on, Natives were pushed west of the Mississippi River, and their lands continued to shrink as American expansion increased. By the 1870s, much of the Native population had been concentrated in Indian Territory and the Dakota region.
However, in 1874, gold was discovered in the Black Hills, sending thousands of fortune seekers into territory that belonged to the Lakota under treaty agreements. The government’s response was to attempt to purchase the Black Hills, but the Lakota rejected the offer claiming the land held deep cultural and spiritual importance. As tensions increased, the government ordered all Native people to move onto reservations or be considered hostile. The man sent to help enforce this policy was Custer.
Custer was already a famous figure in his time. He was a bold cavalry officer and a skilled self-promoter who built a reputation for himself during the Civil War. He graduated from West Point the same year the Civil War began but quickly rose through the ranks and became one of the Union Army’s most recognized officers. He played an important role in the final days of the war, helping prevent Gen. Robert E. Lee from escaping and being present when Lee surrendered at Appomattox.
While Custer proved his military abilities during the Civil War, the success also strengthened his confidence and ego. After the war, he was sent west and gained another victory in 1868 at the Battle of the Washita River against Chief Black Kettle’s Cheyenne in present-day Western Oklahoma. Although Custer viewed it as a military success, many historians today view the event as more of a massacre than a traditional battle. Eventually, his confidence in his own abilities would contribute to his downfall.
At the Little Bighorn River, Sitting Bull and other Native leaders refused to abandon the Black Hills and move onto reservations. Custer’s plan, as he approached their massive encampment, was to divide his forces and launch a surprise attack. However, the battle changed completely when Custer was discovered and launched an immediate assault on June 25, a full day before his planned operations were supposed to begin. Custer feared that waiting would allow the Natives to scatter, so he attacked without waiting for his full force. This decision removed any chance of receiving reinforcements and placed his men directly against a force that greatly outnumbered them. The result was the destruction of Custer’s command and the greatest Native victories of the Indian Wars.
The Battle of the Little Bighorn is important for many reasons. Most importantly, it demonstrated the determination and strength of Native American resistance. Leaders such as Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse opposed the government’s actions and fought to defend their homes, land, and traditions. The victory showed that Native groups could successfully challenge the United States military when they united together, even if that success would only be temporary.
While it was a major victory for Native forces, it came at a devastating cost. The defeat of a famous military leader and his men shocked the United States and led to a much stronger military response in the West. U.S. policy shifted from containment to a strategy of total military control and retaliation. Outraged by the defeat, the federal government sent thousands of additional troops into the region, ignored previous agreements, and began implementing a much more aggressive campaign against Native communities.
This new strategy involved disarming Native people and ending their ability to continue traditional ways of life. Instead of the seasonal conflicts that had occurred in previous years, the Army launched year-round military campaigns. During the harsh winter of 1876-1877, military expeditions attacked Native camps, destroying villages, tipis, and food supplies in an effort to force surrender through starvation and hardship. In many ways the battle marked the beginning of the end of organized Native resistance in the region.
Another reason the Battle of the Little Bighorn remains significant is because of the way it has shaped American memory and culture. Custer became one of the most famous figures of Western history, and for many years stories focused mainly on his actions and the bravery of the soldiers. Over time, historians have worked to provide a more complete understanding of the event by recognizing the experiences and perspectives of the Native warriors who fought there. The battle is now studied not only as a military event but also as an important moment in the history of Native American struggles and the expansion of the United States.
Today, the battlefield is preserved as a national park where visitors can walk the same ground where so many lives were lost. The site includes a visitor center and a national cemetery, allowing people to reflect on the significance of what happened there. The geography of the battlefield is interesting as many imagine a flat prairie, but the land is much more complex. The rolling hills, ridges, and valleys played an important role in the battle. Seeing the landscape of battles firsthand gives one a better appreciation of what happened. It is well worth the trip.
James Finck is a professor of American history at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. He can be reached at james.finck@swoknews.com. Thanks to the Southwest Ledger and the Lawton Constitution for sharing his column.
