TODAY IN HISTORY: Battle of the Little Bighorn (June 25, 1876)
Posted June 26, 2018
On June 25, 1876, one of the most significant battles in American history unfolded during the Great Sioux War—the Battle of the Little Bighorn. This fierce clash, also known as “Custer’s Last Stand,” pitted the 7th Cavalry of the United States Army, led by General George Armstrong Custer, against a coalition of Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes.
Under the leadership of prominent Native American chiefs, including Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Chief Gall, the Native forces won a resounding victory, defeating Custer’s battalion near the Little Bighorn River in eastern Montana. The Native warriors, vastly outnumbering Custer’s troops, overwhelmed the 7th Cavalry, resulting in Custer’s death along with over 200 of his men.
This decisive victory for the Lakota and their allies was part of their larger resistance against U.S. efforts to force them off their ancestral lands, particularly after the discovery of gold in the Black Hills. While history records it as the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Native Americans refer to it as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, a name tied to the land and water near the battlefield.
The battle has since become a symbol of both Native American resistance to U.S. expansion and the tragic cost of the nation’s push westward. Custer’s defeat shocked the American public and further fueled the U.S. government’s military campaigns against Native tribes, which would eventually lead to their forced relocation to reservations. The legacy of Little Bighorn endures as a powerful reminder of the conflict and cultural clash between Native peoples and the United States during the westward expansion.