No event in the annals of the Frontier Partisans bears a greater load of legend and history than the fight that broke out on a hot afternoon exactly 150 years ago, on June 25, 1876, at a place the Lakota called the Greasy Grass — known in American history as the Battle of the Little Big Horn.
Just as the United States was celebrating the centennial of our founding with paeans to progress and burgeoning industrial might, word flashed across the telegraph that Civil War hero Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and more than 200 men of his Seventh Cavalry had been wiped out by a horde of primitive savages. It was a stunning blow.
“Battle of Little Bighorn,” by Gayle Porter Hoskins.
Those “savages,” of course — Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho — were actually the militant remains of a sophisticated and formidable imperial culture that had dominated the northern plains for decades.
Their great leaders, Sitting Bull and the mystic warrior Crazy Horse, were determined to live as free men, and had never conceded to any treaty. And treaties were apparently worthless anyway. It’s hard to look honestly at the way the U.S. government treated the Lakota without concluding that the government had acted in a low, dishonest manner.
The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 had granted the Lakota a vast “reservation,” including the Black Hills — a concession the Lakota had won by defeating the U.S. Army in the Powder River War of 1865-68. But the U.S. abrogated their treaty obligations when gold was discovered in the Black Hills in 1874 — by an expedition led by Custer.
The U.S. was in the throes of the Panic of 1873 — an economic crisis no less painful than the Great Depression — and the lure of gold in them thar hills was far more powerful than any treaty obligation. Miners flooded in, and the government decided that they had to bring any free-roving Sioux to heel.
The Grant administration issued an ultimatum that they knew Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse would not and could not comply with — to come into the agencies in the winter of 1875-76 or be declared “hostile” — and prepared a military expedition to break the power of the Sioux for good in the summer of 1876.
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The Lakota and their Cheyenne and Arapaho allies had legitimate grievances. They were treated unjustly. It would, however, be wrong to think of them as hapless victims of American imperialism. For they, too, were imperialists. The Lakota had won the Powder River Country they successfully defended in the war of the 1860s by driving out the Crow — which is why there was a contingent of Crow scouts with Custer and other elements of the U.S. operation. They wanted revenge on their great enemy. Same with the Arikara, who had been at war with the Sioux for generations.
Intertribal warfare on the Plains was near-constant and it was brutal. The entire worth of a man in these cultures was defined by military prowess, and that prowess was expressed not only by counting coup and stealing horses, but by killing and mutilating enemies.
A totem of that savagery is found in a necklace of human fingers worn by a Cheyenne medicine man:
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The fight at the Greasy Grass has fascinated generations of people for 150 years. Military historians and hobbyists have made a lifetime study out of tracing the minutia of the battle, plumbing the mystery of the movements of Custer’s command after he decided to split it into three to strike the massive village — 8,000 people and probably 2,000 warriors — he had come upon.
It seems apparent that all of Custer’s tactical decisions were built on a false premise: that Sitting Bull and his people would try to escape from the approaching soldiers. That assumption was itself built on a decade of experience — it wasn’t just foolish arrogance. The division of the command was designed to block that escape, but, of course, it was a fatal error, dividing an already outnumbered command in the face of a massively superior enemy force.
The Lakota and Cheyenne did not seek escape — they were ready to fight. They used the terrain effectively to maneuver against the split force, driving back one element attacking their camp, then turning to overwhelm Custer’s immediate command. There was no gallant Last Stand — the fight was a short, chaotic and brutal overrunning of an outgunned force. Many warriors had repeating lever action rifles and their rate of fire was far superior to that of the troopers armed with single-shot Springfield carbines, which had a tendency to jam when overheated.
The warriors got among the troopers and beat them to a pulp with melee weapons like stone-headed war-clubs and tomahawks. It was a slaughter, followed by ritual mutilation conducted by Lakota and Cheyenne women.
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The battle of June 25, 1876, was a great triumph for the Lakota and Cheyenne — but it was a high water mark, and their fortunes receded very quickly. The huge gathering of the tribes could not be sustained, and as they dispersed, their military capacity dissipated. Under hard pursuit through a terrible winter, Crazy Horse surrendered in May 1877, and Sitting Bull fled into Canada.
Crazy Horse would be dead within the year, killed by a bayonet in the kidneys as he resisted incarceration. Sitting Bull would hold out in Canada for several years before returning to the U.S. to surrender. He would be killed resisting arrest during the Ghost Dance turmoil of 1890.
From the apex of their power and military success, the Lakota plunged into abject defeat in the space of a few months.
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Today is a day to honor the warrior spirit. I see the column of soldiers riding into the valley of death and hear the stirring strains of Garry Owen. I see Crazy Horse painted in hailstones riding into the fray as warriors shout Hoka-hey! It is a good day to die!
Art by Andy Thomas
On this day, we drink to their shade, all of them — American warriors.
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Matthew says
The Native American cultures were warrior cultures with the good and the bad of warrior cultures. The warrior spirit is necessary of oneself and one’s own but it quickly can go to far as in the necklace of fingers. (Or Mai Li for a more modern example.) Humans have been trying to deal with this forever and probably struggle to the end of time with it.
Craig Rullman says
When I first visited the museum in Cody as a boy a Cheyenne finger necklace was on display. Not that one, but one very similar. When I returned 40 years later to interview the lead historian for a film he denied they had one, or ever did. Bullshit. It simply no longer fit the revisionist narrative of the west. Sad and stupid.
JimC says
The denying they ever had it is the most damning aspect of the whole thing.
Alan Tompkins says
Back in the 1950s thnere was a Ripley’s Believe It or Not Display at Times Square, NYC. I had the opportunity, and took it to enter. There amongst all the fascinating objects displayed was a warrior necklace made up of the shooting fingers of members of Custer’s Command.
Black Tyrone says
Nice spot Jim.. Knew you would put something up
JimC says
Thx Tyrone.
Bob Deis says
An excellent, clear-eyed overview!
JimC says
Thx Bob.
John M. says
By the closing days of the Civil War, it should have been clear that repeating firearms were such an outrageous advantage on the battlefield that they rendered not only the front-stuffers but also the single-shot metallic cartridge guns obsolete. Yet for some reason, the Army chose the trapdoor Springfield for the primary infantry arm all the way down in 1873. This was nothing less than professional malpractice.
Of course machine guns can overcome many sins of standard light infantry arms, and Custer had no one to blame but himself for leaving the Gatlings behind.
JimC says
Truth.
It was all about budget. The Army was too cheap to even supply enough ammunition for training.
Captain Crook O'Neil of the Black Tyrone says
Perhaps, but with some knowledge of British Colonial campaigning, The Snider and then the Martini Henry both as you know breech loaders, had great stopping power and reliability, despite a strong kick with the MH, as used by imperial forces. The Indian Army used these weapons on the NW Frontier with great effect so perhaps the 7th were not in the worst shape. I agree on the Gatling but even the sabre would have been of greater help on the bluffs. More so when dicipline breaks down all is lost regardless. Numbers against the 7th and for that matter the 24th at Isandlawana were telling. You’ll find plenty of references in Kipling particularly on the NWF and against the Burma dacoits
Black Tyrone says
They’re so white.
Clyde says
I feel you have to see the terrain yourself to fully appreciate it. I had read many books, watched videos and seen photos but to actually see it gave me a greater understanding of the battle.
JimC says
That was my experience of the Fetterman site. Whole different level of understanding. The Jocko Willink staff ride videos from LBH offer a pretty good feel.
Joe Ran says
One side was American – the United States.
The Black Tyrone says
?
The Black Tyrone says
Jim, one I believe should not forget the indomitable Captain of the “Far West’, Grant Marsh. Both Donovan and Philbrick in their books give this frontiersman (if ever there was one) great credit for his service handling his Upper Missouri river boat. His actions probably saved many wounded. Cheers to Captain Marsch.
JimC says
Aye! Good call. He was also the owner of a fine Hawken Rifle presented to him by Sam Hawken himself. He deserves a post.
The Black Tyrone says
Jim, before I quit this topic until next time… appreciated Marty Stuart’s recording. Thanks. Yes the “General” is still dead
Ugly Hombre says
Great post thanks much- never been to the LBH one place I want to see. Revisionist history and vanishing artifacts are a sin a abomination to truth. The stronger, bigger and smarter win and survive way of the world- same as it ever was. We all know it.
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Scalp-Dance/Thomas-Goodrich/9780811729079
This book tells the story from one side but both sides committed crimes.
We all know that too.
JimC says
Goodrich is a badass — his book Black Flag on the Missouri Guerrillas of the Civil War kis similarly clear-eyed and pulls no punches re: the beast in man.
Ugly Hombre says
Don’t have that one but yep, “Scalp Dance” is a helluva read well done with good sources cited. Thanks for the lead will check out “Black Flag”. Sounds good!
David Wrolson says
Jim-great post.
Been on a trip to the Great Basin and Yosemite/Big Sur/Central Coast of California. We drove the Loneliest Road (Hwy 50) across the middle of Nevada-this was a bucket list drive.
Who could not fall in love with the Central Coast?
Just read a book (from more of a settler perspective) on the Cheyenne and Arapahoe wars in the central plains. Jeff Broome (The author) mentioned the Cheyenne finger necklaces and talked about the gang rapes of captive white women. He said it was common for a family that had a 17-year old daughter captured-they would often report her as 10-12 years old so that later husbands and so forth would be more likely to think she got by without sexual assault, Different times.
Ah-you-mentioned the Lakota Sioux at Greasy Grass-don’t forget that the Dakota Sioux (in small numbers) and the Nakota Sioux (the wild Yanktonai riding with the Hunkpapa Lakota were there also.
JimC says
Thank you David. You saw some mighty fine country…
You are right about the Dakota and Nakota. Thanks for pointing that out.
Re: rape. It is interesting to that the woodland peoples did not engage in sexual violence (generally, surely there were individual exceptions) while rape was a common practice among many people of the Plains. Different cultural taboos…
Jean says
Thanks for a great article. That was a very difficult time for all. At least we are moving past it a bit.
JimC says
Thank you Jean.
Chris Cohen says
Thanks Jim for a great post on an important part of our American history. If you’re interested in this topic, The Rest is History podcast has a fabulous 9 part series that’s worth listening to.
JimC says
Yes, that’s excellent. Great to hear from you again.