On the afternoon of June 25, 1876, General George Armstrong Custer, along with more than 200 of his men, was killed at a battle later called Little Bighorn, after the river that flowed near the bloody site. While it was a temporary victory for the Lakota, Cheyenne, and other Native people fighting for the preservation of their way of life and land, in the end, it hastened the end of the nomadic lifestyle available to the Native people of the plains and mountains of the United States.
Let’s take a look at the battle where Custer made his “last stand” and see some of the memorials, monuments, and important sites associated with the battle.
Military Academy at West Point, New York
George Armstrong Custer, somewhat on a whim, ended up at the US’s premier military academy, known as West Point. He graduated in 1861, 34th of 34 students in his class. He went on to serve in the Union Army in the Civil War, even witnessing Lee’s surrender to Grant, which effectively ended the war.
In order to attend West Point, a student must be nominated by their member of Congress, and attend the university to receive a well-rounded and well-regarded education. It has turned out several well-regarded individuals, including both Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, Douglas MacArthur, George S. Patton, and David Petraeus.
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General Custer’s remains were interred here in 1877.
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Fort Abraham Lincoln, North Dakota
General Custer was a military man through and through, and continued in service after the Civil War. He was stationed in the western territories to fight what was known as the “Indian Wars” where US troops fought against Native warriors, eventually pushing the Native people onto reservations or to less desirable land.
In 1876, Custer was stationed at Fort Abraham Lincoln in present-day North Dakota. He and his wife lived in a house here, where he served as Commander of the fort. It was from this fort that Custer and his troops left on May 17, and his wife repeatedly remarked that a mirage appeared and covered half of the departing soldiers from view. Six weeks later, her mirage became a sad reality.
The fort has since been dissolved and turned into Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park. Several important sites from the times of the Indian Wars, as well as of Native heritage, are preserved in the park.
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Battle of Little Bighorn
With the help of Native scouts, Custer and two groups converged on a large gathering of Native people, including men, women, and children, gathering at the Little Bighorn River in present-day Montana.
Coming close to the encampment, Custer was convinced he needed to attack quickly on June 25, rather than wait a day for reinforcements and additional supplies. Therefore, he ordered his subordinates to attack from different angles.
Miscalculations about the size of the encampment and who was at the camp led to a rout, where the American soldiers were quickly outnumbered and overwhelmed.
While other divisions suffered significant losses but were able to eventually retreat, Custer and the men with him became surrounded on their bluff, and slaughtered. Not one of the 210 or so men survived.
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Little Bighorn National Monument
The battle, where about 300 US troops and 60 Native warriors were killed, quickly became a rallying cry in the states to finish the job of containing the “savage” nomadic people. While today people understand the atrocities inflicted upon the Native American people, both as a people and as individuals, that was not the case in 1876.
The site of the battle became first an informal memorial and then eventually a national monument. The monument also includes locations where other battles that day were fought, to better tell the entire story.
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Sitting Bull’s Grave
One of the Native Lakota warrior leaders, Sitting Bull, was at the battle, and helped lead his people to victory that day. Sitting Bull had a well-deserved reputation as an incredibly brave warrior, but also as a man with visionary powers. In fact, legend says he foretold the battle of Little Bighorn.
Sadly, US military leaders saw Sitting Bull as a direct threat to taking the territory of the Native people, and eventually he was taken prisoner, forced to live on reservations, and prevented from participating in his traditional nomadic lifestyle.
He was killed in an intentional and tragic gunfight in 1890. His remains were taken to Fort Yates in North Dakota. However, tradition holds that his remains were later secretly dug up, and he was reinterred in South Dakota. A memorial now marks the spot where his body is said to have been buried.
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Crazy Horse Memorial
Another brave fighter at the battle that day was Crazy Horse, a Lakota warrior known for his bravery, confidence, and desire to live in the traditional ways of his people. According to accounts of the battle, he and his soldiers fought and slaughtered Custer and his men. Crazy Horse was killed at Fort Robinson in Nebraska. The manner of his death was intentional and intentionally lacking in dignity for a Lakota warrior, but his stoicism in death impressed, and somewhat frightened, the soldiers who executed him.
His final resting place is unknown. However, in 1948, a massive memorial to him was undertaken in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The area is considered holy to the Lakota. The statue of his face and shoulders will be the largest face, and largest statue, in the world, much larger than the faces of the four presidents at nearby Mount Rushmore. However, work is slow as all funds for the project are raised privately.
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While the battle Little Bighorn and Custer’s Last Stand were a victory for the Native people, the success was short-lived. It convinced the US people that the territory must be taken and settled, and the original inhabitants moved out of the way. It was really the beginning of the end for these people, and the tragedy of that day cannot be overstated. So, on this day, take a moment to reflect on the loss of life, and the loss of the way of life, of the original settlers of the land we call the United States.
