INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE BATTLE OF LITTLE BIGHORN

One of the most famous battles in American History occurred during the centennial year on June 25, 1876.  For a long time it was called “Custer’s Last Stand”, but today it is correctly titled the Battle of Little Bighorn.  Here are some interesting facts about the battle.

1. In 1868, at Fort Laramie, the Sioux Indians signed a treaty giving them the Black Hills forever. The Black Hills were considered sacred and were a plentiful hunting area.  The government promised to evict settlers.  However, in 1873, an expedition led by Lt. Col. (he had been temporarily made the youngest general in the Army during the Civil War) George Armstrong Custer had discovered gold in the Black Hills.  The ensuing publicity caused an influx of miners into the area.  The government decided to side with the white miners and the Indians were ordered to come into the reservations by Jan. 31, 1876.  The Indians were not given enough warning about the date, but they would not have given up the Black Hills without a fight anyway.
2. When the date passed, the Army implemented a campaign to force the hostiles to come in or die. By this time, the “hostiles” had been joined by numerous “loafers” (Indians who lived on the reservations and depended on white supplies).  The Indians knew that the days of traditional life might be coming to an end and were determined to fight to keep their lands.  The Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho came together into a huge encampment.
3. The Army plan was to use three forces to converge on the Indians. The column led by Gen. George Crook was turned back by a spirited Indian assault led by Crazy Horse in the Battle of the Rosebud.  Col. John Gibbon was to move from the north and Gen. Alfred Terry moved northward with a force including Custer and his 7^th Cavalry. 
4. The encampment consisted of around 7,000 Indians. It was located on what they called the Greasy Grass River.  There were as many as 3,000 warriors in the camp.
5. Sitting Bull was a spiritual leader at this stage of his life. A few days before the battle he had participated in a Sun Dance where he had small patches of skin cut from his arms.  He had a vision of soldiers falling into the camp.  The Indians took this as a good sign for the upcoming battle.
6. When Custer left Terry, he did not take three things. He turned down Gatling guns because they would slow him down.  The officers left behind their sabers.  And Custer turned down 4 companies of the 2^nd Cavalry because he did not want to share the glory.  Custer felt his unit could handle any body of Indians.  His biggest fear was the Indians would not be brought to battle.  Some historians feel Custer had his eyes on the White House.
7. Custer had about 600 men with him. 40% were immigrants, mostly Irish and Germans. 
8. On June 25, Custer’s Crow scouts spotted a large Indian village. They warned Custer it was the largest village they had ever seen.  He thought they were exaggerating.   His plan was to rest his weary men and then attack at daybreak of June 26, but some of his men had been spotted by some Indians.  Custer decided to attack immediately before the Indians could run away.   Ironically, the Indians who saw Custer’s men were heading away from the camp and did not alert it.
9. Custer divided his force into three columns. Capt. Frederick Benteen took three companies to scout westward.  Maj. Marcus Reno took three companies to attack the southern end of the village.  Custer took five companies to attack the northern end.
10. The first shots were fired by Reno’s men. His attack surprised the Indians, but they quickly came boiling out like angry hornets.  Reno halted his charge and tried to fend off the Indians on foot.  He quickly ordered his men to retreat to a stand of trees.  And after losing more men and his composure, he ordered every man for himself in a retreat to a bluff.  Many of his men were killed by chasing Indians.  Some warriors counted coup (touching an enemy) on the panicked troopers.
11. Benteen gave up his wild goose chase and joined Reno on the bluff. They were besieged there.
12. No white survived Custer’s attack, so it is unclear what happened. Indian witnesses were unreliable.  Apparently, Custer paralleled the river with the village on the other side.  He may have been trying to get to the northern end.  He may have tried to cross at the midpoint of the village, but met resistance and retreated to several hills.  He may have been wounded at the river crossing, but most likely he was shot during the defense of the hill he stopped on.
13. Custer men were scattered in small groups on the hills along the river. The Indians approached on foot and took few losses while picking off the whites.  The final Indian attack was by Crazy Horse and a large force of Indians on horseback.  The remaining troopers (and apparently Custer) were swamped.  Some of the troopers may have committed suicide.  The fighting was over in less than an hour.  209 men died with Custer.  
14. Reno’s men were besieged through June 26. The Indians sniped at the whites.  Reno lost over 60 with another 60 or so wounded.  On June 27, the Indian village moved away.  Soon after they left, Gibbons’ force arrived and the bodies of Custer’s men were found.  All but Custer had been mutilated.  (Or so the public and Mrs. Custer were told.)  It is unlikely that the Indians knew it was the body of Long Hair.  (He had cut his famous hair short before the campaign.)  Custer’s corpse had a bullet wound in the chest and in the temple (possibly from suicide).  The only living thing on the battlefield was a horse named Comanche.
15. Some 200 Indians had repeating rifles, but that was only 10%. The rest were armed with a variety of weapons including muzzle-loaders, clubs, and bows.  The whites were armed with the 1873 Springfield single-shot breechloader and Colt .45 pistols.  The rifles had a bad habit of jamming when fired repeatedly.  Historians believe the two sides were relatively even in firepower.
16. Custer died with his brothers Thomas and Boston. Thomas was double Medal of Honor recipient from the Civil War.
17. The Indians lost between 36 to 130 dead.
18. 24 Medals of Honor were awarded. Mostly to men who braved the gauntlet to get water for forces on Reno’s hill.
19. In 1946, the name of the battlefield was changed to Custer Battlefield National Monument. In 1991, the name was changed to Little Bighorn National Monument.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Little_Bighorn

https://www.history.com/news/little-bighorn-battle-facts-causes

https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/battle-of-the-little-bighorn

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-battle-of-little-bighorn-was-won-63880188/