Battle of Little Big Horn

 Traveling through Idaho, and then Montana, we encountered a few hazy days when we did not see much of the sun.  At one point we could smell the forest fires, which were some distance away.  And one morning we found ash on the hood of our car, which caused me to think that we were perhaps not as far away from the fires than I thought!  The picture below can give you an idea of how hazy the sky was.  After we got home and I looked at the pictures, I at first wondered why so many of my pictures of Montana looked so poor and a bit dark- I then realized that I had the forest fires to thank for that!

The Battle of Little Big Horn took place on June 25th, 1876.  Shortly after we arrived at the memorial site we encountered a group of tourists who were avidly listening to a park ranger tell of what has become known s "Custer's last stand".  The park ranger did a very dramatic recitation of the story, soon John and I also became mesmerized and listened to the details of that dreadful battle.  Later I picked up a park brochure which gave information on what events led to that confrontation.  In 1874 gold was discovered in the Black Hills, the heart of a new Indian reservation in eastern Wyoming.  The army tried to buy the Black Hills back from the Indians and failed.  The Lakota and Cheyenne left the reservation and began raiding parties on settlements and travelers.  In December 1875 the Indians were ordered to return to the reservation before Jan. 31, 1876, or be treated as hostiles by "military force".  The battle at Little Big Horn was the army's campaign against the Lakota and Cheyenne.  Some of what happened in June of that year has been told by Indians, as Kate Bighead.  The Lakota,Cheyenne and Arapaho (approximately 7,000 of whom 1,500 to 2000 were warriers) were camped by the river called Little Big Horn (in an area located in southeastern Montana).  Several women were digging wild turnips, while their children were seeking relief from the afternoon heat in the river.  Men were sitting and smoking.  In the distance a dust cloud was arising, and the shout arose that "Soldiers coming.Plenty white soldiers".  Soon women and children were screaming.  Old men were calling young men to battle.  It was the 7th Calvary of the army which had discovered the presence of the camp, led by General Custer.  He did not realize the size of the Indian presence and had divided his regiment into three battalions.  It was one of those battalions that raided the Indian village; they retreated when they saw that they were out numbered.

 

Site of Custer's Last Stand

There are many more details of the 7th Calvary movements on that fateful day, which I will not go into.  What happened during the course of that day is the stuff of legend and has become known as "Custer's Last Stand".  With 250 men under his command Custer was surrounded by the Indians and destroyed.  At the location of his last stand he and approximately 41 of his men shot their horses for breastworks, to no avail.  A total of 262 men were killed and 52 wounded.  The Indians lost no more than 100.  Red Feather, a Lakota Indian, commented that  "It was a terrible battle..a hard battle- both sides were brave warriors".

In 1988 two Native American groups pressured the National Park Service to give equal recognition to Native Indians who died at this battle site.  This prompted Congress to pass legislation authorizing a construction of a memorial for the Indians, which President G.Bush signed into law in 1991.  The theme of the memorial is "Peace through Unity".  It acknowledges the need for cooperation between Indian tribes and the federal government.

Public Law 102-201 redesignated Custer Battlefield National Monument as Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument and approved establishment of a memorial to recognized Native Americans who participated in the battle.