The aftermath of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, where General George Armstrong Custer made his final stand against the combined forces of Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne warriors, reveals much about the era’s perspectives on life, death, and battlefield respect. The battle occurred in Montana’s Big Horn County in 1876 during the American Indian Wars, a conflict that had simmered for decades. Despite two centuries of expansion, colonization, and warfare, hostility persisted between new Americans and the Aboriginal tribes of the Plains. Tribes such as the Apache, Comanche, Cheyenne, and others were renowned for their fighting skills and exceptional horsemanship.
Though they operated in relatively small war bands armed with bows, tomahawks, and limited weaponry, they inflicted considerable damage on both professional soldiers and inexperienced settlers. Their fierce resistance posed a substantial threat to American authority across the regions they roamed. Efforts to manage these tensions led to the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1851. The treaty aimed to prevent intertribal conflicts and protect American interests by defining territorial boundaries for eight tribes, recognizing these lands as autonomous tribal territories.
It also allowed for infrastructure development such as roads and fortifications while ensuring safe passage along the Oregon Trail. However, violations soon followed as settlers and prospectors encroached on indigenous lands in pursuit of gold and other resources. Trespassing on tribal lands for buffalo hunting or settlement broke the treaty agreements, and the US government failed to prevent these breaches effectively. By 1866, this unrest culminated in Red Cloud’s War, a two-year conflict that resulted in significant casualties, including 200 American soldiers and civilians alongside an undetermined number of indigenous lives.
The Battle of the Little Bighorn was a direct consequence of such ongoing conflicts. By the early summer of 1876, resentment had grown among the Lakota as they faced relentless pressure to surrender their land. Settlers aggressively targeted the local population in their push to construct the Northern Pacific Railroad across some of the last remaining fertile buffalo hunting grounds. Prominent Lakota leaders, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, championed armed resistance.
Many Sioux and Cheyenne tribes, previously hesitant to engage in conflict, rallied behind these leaders upon realizing they would encounter only broken promises from the Americans. In the early hours of June 25, Custer and his troops located a native camp approximately 14 miles east of the Little Bighorn River, after being sent as scouts from the main expeditionary force on June 22, 1876. Before they were aware that an enemy war party had discovered their route, Custer’s scouts had planned a surprise attack for the following day. The decision was made to launch an immediate strike before the opposing forces could close in.
At Little Bighorn, Custer organized his 700 troops into three separate divisions. One group advanced directly toward the village, another aimed to prevent the indigenous people from escaping to the south, and the third, commanded by Custer himself, prepared to attack from the north. Around midday, Custer and his forces entered the Little Bighorn Valley on horseback and initiated their assault. Crazy Horse confronted Custer head-on while Chief Sitting Bull and his warriors focused on ensuring the safety of the women and children.
American intelligence had estimated that the campsite housed no more than 800 combatants. However, the actual number was around 2,000, many of whom were better equipped than the American forces. Custer and his 210 men quickly found themselves encircled and isolated from their reinforcements, primarily due to the rapid-fire rifles used by the indigenous warriors, in contrast to the single-shot Springfields employed by the Americans. The battle, which lasted just over an hour, culminated in the defense of what is now referred to as Last Stand Hill, resulting in the complete annihilation of Custer and his men.
The details of the confrontation remain unclear, as no survivors were left to narrate the events of Custer’s last stand. Native accounts of the conflict, passed down orally through generations, are often inconsistent and unreliable. A few days later, a Crow scout named Ashisha provided a vague description of the battle, stating that Custer had directly attacked the village but was quickly repelled back to Last Stand Hill, where he and his troops ultimately met their demise. It was not until two days later that the other two units sent to assault the settlement discovered Custer’s defeat.
Upon receiving this startling news, they rushed to find him. By that time, most of the native warriors had departed, leaving only the 210 American casualties on the battlefield. Despite their diligent attempts, the individuals were unable to reconstruct the sequence of events that had occurred. Captain Frederick Benteen, leader of the third group, assessed the situation and determined that it was characterized by panic and disorder until the last soldier fell.
He expressed his conviction that the men likely allowed their horses to run free without any orders to do so, and although several commands were issued, compliance was minimal due to the chaos. As he noted, it was indeed a rout. The remains of the American soldiers had been horrifically mutilated and stripped of much of their clothing, along with essential items such as knives and firearms. To prevent them from engaging in combat in the afterlife, the soldiers had their trigger fingers amputated, as it was believed that one carries their physical form into the next life.
Additionally, an arrow was inserted into Custer’s genital area to prevent him from procreating, and knitting needles were driven into his ears as a symbolic gesture of his refusal to listen. The deceased were hastily buried in shallow graves while the campaign was still ongoing. Many of the soldiers’ graves consisted of little more than a few shovels of dirt heaped upon one another, as the men had limited digging tools at their disposal. Custer’s grave, however, was the most notable, marked by stakes driven into the ground and extending 18 inches deep.
A piece of paper inscribed with his name was placed inside a container of spent cartridges and affixed to the stake. It was reported that Custer had been shot in the heart, which was determined to be the cause of death. Although his head had also been shot, the absence of blood suggested that this injury occurred postmortem. In the year that followed, there were numerous appeals to return to the battlefield to recover the bodies and provide them with a proper burial.
The wives and friends of the officers who perished alongside Custer urged the military to retrieve their remains, prompting inquiries as to whether the Secretary of War would authorize the necessary expenses. General Sheridan communicated with General Sherman regarding the potential availability of funds within the adjutant general’s office or other financial resources under the Secretary’s jurisdiction. The required amount was expected to be minimal. Despite an initial denial of the request, Sheridan and Sherman continued to advocate for the cause to the military authorities, ultimately securing the necessary approval.
On July 2, soldiers arrived at the battlefield, established camp, and commenced their arduous task. They encountered a site littered with decomposing bodies that had fallen prey to scavengers and wild animals. Initially, sticks were employed to mark the final resting places of the deceased until it was confirmed that all had been accounted for. Once the officers were identified, their remains were collected and placed in coffins prepared for reinterment at a nearby army fort.
Unfortunately, the enlisted men would remain undisturbed in their graves, as the sheer number of bodies made evacuation impossible. Their remains were marked with stakes and subsequently interred in more suitable graves. Satisfied that his mission had been completed and that all fallen soldiers had been honored, Sheridan and his men departed the site. However, the impending Montana wet season posed a challenge, as the loose, dusty soil was quickly eroded by rainstorms, exposing the bones to the elements and wildlife once again.
Shortly after the onset of the rain, John Fouch captured a photograph that depicted the area once more strewn with bones, marking a fleeting moment of triumph. Although the Lakota and Cheyenne tribes achieved a brief but remarkable victory, they ultimately did not prevail in the larger conflict. Custer and his troops became immortalized in American history as brave and honorable warriors, garnering the support of the American public and government alike. A large and formidable contingent of American soldiers was deployed to decisively defeat their adversaries and prevent any further insurrections, motivated by the desire for retribution for Custer’s death, as he was regarded as a significant hero of the Civil War.
Following the American seizure of Native American territories and hunting grounds, most native warriors surrendered within a year, as they were reluctant to continue fighting. The United States annexed the Black Hills without offering any compensation. Even though numerous lives had been lost in the process, the area became inundated with gold miners, leading to substantial wealth generation.
Treasure coaches frequently transported wagon loads of gold valued at $300,000 or more.
