To put the battle in context
requires returning to 1868 when the Treaty
of Fort Laramie was signed. This treaty
granted the Black Hills area to the Indians.
However, in the early 1870s, rumors spread
of gold in the Hills, and white miners began
slipping into the reservation area. In 1874,
the U.S. government decided to determine
the validity of these rumors and sent a
geological team, under Custer, to examine
the minerals in the area. Gold was among
the minerals found, and not Caesar himself
could have stopped the barbarian hordes
of miners flowing into the reservation.
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The Lakota war leader, Gall.
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In the spring
of 1876, a three pronged campaign was launched
to shepherd the Sioux and Cheyenne back
to the reservation. The first prong, under
General John Gibbon, marched east from Fort
Ellis (near present-day Bozeman, Montana).
The second prong, led by General Alfred
Terry (and including Custer) headed west
from Fort Abraham Lincoln near Bismark,
North Dakota. The third prong consisted
of General George Crook's men moving north
from Wyoming into Montana.
Unknown to Terry and Gibbon,
Crook encountered the Indians near the Rosebud
Creek in southern Montana, and was defeated
by them about a week before Custer's battle.
After this, his force withdrew to Wyoming,
breaking one side of the triangle.
Meanwhile,
Terry was moving west up the Yellowstone
River to the Little Bighorn. The 7th Cavalry,
under Custer, was to scout ahead and departed
Terry's command on June 22. On the morning
of the 25th, the 7th Cavalry was at the
divide between the Rosebud and the Little
Bighorn Rivers. From a spot known as the
Crow's Nest, they observed a large Indian
camp.
Worried the Indians might
escape, Custer decided to attack and descended
into the valley of the Little Bighorn. At
the Crow's Nest, Captain Frederick Benteen
was ordered to travel to the southwest with
three companies to block a possible southern
escape route. A few miles from the Little
Bighorn, Custer again divided his command,
as Major Marcus Reno was ordered to take
three companies along the river bottom and
attack the Indian village on its southern
end. The remaining five companies would
follow Custer in support of Reno.
Custer, in
the meantime, followed the top of the ridge
to an ephemeral tributary of the Little
Bighorn. He must have finally realized the
gravity of the situation as the north end
of the village came into view. From here,
he sent a message back to Benteen: "Benteen,
Come on. Big village, be quick, bring packs.
P.S. Bring pacs (sic). W.W. Cooke." The
messenger, bugler John Martin, was the last
to see Custer and his command alive and
Custer's movements after this are a point
of speculation.
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Lt.
Tom Custer, brother of Lt. Col. Custer,
also died at the Little Bighorn. He
was oneof only two officers to have
ever received the Medal of Honor twice.
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In
the meantime, the
Indian warriors had forced Reno and
his men to retreat across the river,
and up the bluffs to a defensible
position. Reno and the men on the
hilltop were joined by Benteen's forces
and the pack train, both moving along
Custer's line of march in order to
bring up the ammunition packs.
All
were pinned down by the Indians until
June 27th, when the village retreated
as General Terry, joined by General
Gibbon's column, arrived. For that
day and a half, Reno, Benteen and
the men fought to keep their defensive
position and wondered when Custer
would relieve them.Reno sent two men
to meet the advancing column, and
they found Terry and Gibbon near the
abandoned Indian village. Here, a
scout brought the news. Custer and
his men lay dead on a ridge above
the Little Bighorn. NEXT>> |
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