The Battle of Little Big Horn

Looking at some American Indian battles, one battle that especially caught my interest was Custer’s Last Stand which was referred to as the Battle of the Little Bighorn. During 1875, the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians were upset about white men continually pushing into their lands of the Black Hills. Finally in 1876, the warrior Sitting Bull led warriors to Montana to fight for their lands. Fighting General Custer, the American Indian forces were large and outnumbered Custer’s troops three to one. While fighting the Indians, Custer made any and all efforts to win including piling up bodies in front of his men to use as walls of protection. This however was not enough and Custer’s troops soon lost the battle. The remaining bodies of Custer’s men were then mutilated and scalped in hopes that mutilated bodies are forced to walk the earth forever instead of ascending to heaven. Custer’s body was a small exception because after his death, he was not wearing a uniform and didn’t have long enough hair for scalping, so the American Indians thought he was innocent and left him alone. This victory was one of the greatest for American Indians since they were able to keep the white men from invading their land and achieve a short peace. Unfortunately, this only lasted for another year and the Sioux were soon defeated and forced outside of the Black Hills.

For more info check out http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/custer.htm